[Political Interest]

Both Sweden and Norway are land powers and are not obliged to be close to either Anglo-Saxon sea power (UK, USA, NATO), continental power or Eurasia (Russia and allies). They can choose their alignment.

Is it possible for Sweden or Norway to create a close partnership with Russia?

Would this be geopolitically possible or would it go against their national interests and violate their national security?

During the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union it seems as though the Swedes were worried about what the Soviet invasion would mean for their independence. They seemed to think that losing Finland as a buffer state would put them right on the border of the red empire.

Does this tension therefore prevent countries like Sweden and Norway, or even Finland from developing a close relationship with Moscow?

[Albert]

Historically the Scandinavian countries never had any alliances with Russia. I doubt it will ever happen in near future. Sweeds supplied Finland with a lot of military aid during the Winter War.

I think Denmark is the only Scandinavian country I remember reading that ever developed friendly relations with Russia. But that was in time of Peter the Great. Otherwise the relations could be described as either been hostile or nutural for most of history between the Norse and the Rus'.

[Political Interest]

Scandinavia and Russia appear to have competing interests in the Baltic countries. They are also fearful that Russia might overwhelm them if given the chance.

At the same time their absorption into NATO would be a complete disaster.

I believe that it is possible to mutually accommodate the interests of the Nordic countries with those of Russia. Perhaps the Baltic countries could become a shared zone of interest?

In any case improved relations between Norway, Sweden, Finland, Baltic countries and Russia would be in the interest of everyone. Russia can also contribute to this effort by not scaring these countries so much.

[Dave]

Finns (for obvious reasons) and Swedes are pathologically Russophobic.

Denmark and Norway are more ambivalent about Russia, but for centuries their economic interests have been oriented towards the Atlantic (whereas Sweden and Finland in particular have long had economic interests in Russia).

I personally favor a Nordic federation which cooperates with Russia (and the West), but emotional sentiment at present prohibits any major Swedish-Finnish collaboration with Russia. The Finns are a bit more rational and like to point out that of all the countries Russia borders their border with Finland gives them the fewest problems.

[Decky]

If the Finns were real men they would be trying to get Vippuri/ Vigrad back from Russia.

[Dave]

During the 1990s this was seriously proposed in Russia (along with selling Konigsberg back to Germany), but most Finns weren't interested since they didn't want to invite a large Russian minority.

Finland was also in a massive economic recession in the early 1990s triggered by the Nordic banking crisis and the collapse of the USSR (Finland had privileged economic relations with the USSR which is why two of those nuclear powered icebreakers were built in Finnish yards) and thus couldn't afford the deal.

[layman]

If the Finns were real men they would be trying to get Vippuri/ Vigrad back from Russia.

That is nearly as dumb as A23's protest against the Irish embassy. That is for not declaring war on Britain after the 72 Massacre

[Dave]

Did he protest in 1972 or more recently?

[layman]

At the time. He is old as fuck.

I don't know if decks protested at Finland. I doubt he could be bothered.

[Albert]

Scandinavia and Russia appear to have competing interests in the Baltic countries. They are also fearful that Russia might overwhelm them if given the chance.

At the same time their absorption into NATO would be a complete disaster.

I believe that it is possible to mutually accommodate the interests of the Nordic countries with those of Russia. Perhaps the Baltic countries could become a shared zone of interest?

In any case improved relations between Norway, Sweden, Finland, Baltic countries and Russia would be in the interest of everyone. Russia can also contribute to this effort by not scaring these countries so much.

Competing interest in the Baltic ended with decline of Sweden after the Great Northern War and with treaty of Treaty of Nystad. I believe Sweden became no longer a threat to Russia after Napoleonic Wars' period. Whereas after Treaties of Tilsit in order to force Sweden into continental system of alliance Finland was given to Russia. This led to Finnish War, consolidating Finland into Russian Empire until its collapse during WW1. After this Scandinavians did not pose anymore threat to Russia, so there was never significant hostility afterwards.

Arriving to modernity the situation is of such that Scandinavians do not threaten Russian territorial integrity and because of long period of Scandinavian isolationism it seems there is really no possibility of having any conflict with them. As similarly I see that currently Russia has no interest of ever conducting occupation of Scandinavia, and I do not really see why they would ever have the need in the future. The only trouble I can see arise is that Denmark and Norway are in Nato, so in event of war there will be hostility because they are in alliance.

As for having alliance with Scandinavian countries; again I see no real need for that as well. Perhaps Norway will be a good ally if you want to invade Britain, but why would you want to invade Britain nowadays? Denmark might serve as a good ally for opening second front with Germany; but again why wage war with Germany today? And all these possibilities are not feasible anyways, because all these countries are part of Nato atm.