Russia warns Sweden & Finland of “harmful consequences” if they try to join NATO
Even as Russia continues its bold invasion of Ukraine, it has now threatened Sweden and Finland and warned the two countries to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). According to reports, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Sweden and Finland will face “harmful consequences” if they join NATO. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s troops to invade neighboring Ukraine.
Moscow sends a delegation for talks
While the war is raging, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to send a delegation for talks with Kiev, Russia’s state media, Sputnik, reported. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, a Russian diplomatic delegation, including officials from the Foreign Ministry, the defense and the admin, can be sent to Minsk for talks with Ukraine. This comes shortly after Putin previously rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer of talks and demanded that Ukraine capitulate first.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also held a press conference, saying his country is willing to negotiate if the Ukrainian army lays down its arms. During his press conference, Lavrov said that his country was “trying to convince” Ukraine and its Western partners through diplomatic channels. Lavrov further said that Russia is willing to resume negotiations through diplomatic channels if the Ukrainian army agrees to lay down arms.
Russia invades Ukraine
Weeks after gathering more than 150,000 troops at Ukraine’s borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region. However, the Russian military later targeted Kiev, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk with air strikes and even deployed tanks against Lviv from the border between Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, Russia has also attacked from the coasts of Mariupol and Odesa and troops have taken over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, while fighting is raging on the outskirts of Kiev.
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