Russia vowed Thursday that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, Moscow would bolster its troop presence and deploy nuclear weapons around the Baltic region.
Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, and Sweden, located across the Baltic Sea, have been open about their interest in joining the 30-member Atlantic alliance after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine Feb. 24.
The Nordic countries are currently non-aligned militarily but their leaders have said they would make a decision about joining NATO in the coming weeks.
“If Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the land borders of the alliance with the Russian Federation will more than double. Naturally, these boundaries will have to be strengthened,” said Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally and deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
He went on to raise the nuclear stakes by saying that there can be “no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic.”
Medvedev added that Russia hadn’t been planning on bolstering its Baltic forces, but must now reconsider because Helsinki and Stockholm are forcing its hand, emphasizing “it wasn’t us who proposed this.”
The Finnish government on Wednesday released a security report to lawmakers that weighs the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a NATO member.
“The war started by Russia endangers security and stability in entire Europe,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Wednesday. “Russia’s attack on Ukraine will have a long-lasting impact on our own security environment. Trust in Russia has plummeted.”
Sweden is compiling a similar security assessment that will likely be completed by the end of May.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Wednesday at a joint news conference with her Swedish counterpart, Magdalena Andersson, that Helsinki is prepared to make a decision about joining NATO “within weeks.”
“But we do that with a clear understanding that our choices will affect not only ourselves but our neighbors as well,” added Marin, noting that she would like to see Sweden follow Finland into NATO.
Putin insisted this week that Russia was forced to invade Ukraine because the US and its allies were using the Kyiv government to threaten Moscow with NATO expansion.
The Russian leader has demanded that any peace talks include a guarantee that Ukraine will never become a member of the alliance.
With Post wires
