Russia threatens Finland and Sweden with “consequences” over NATO
Russia has issued an ominous warning to Sweden and Finland should they decide to join NATO.
It said the countries would face “serious military and political repercussions” if they joined the defensive alliance.
After weeks of denying plans to invade Ukraine while gathering as many as 190,000 troops at its border, Russia demanded legal guarantees that the nation would never join NATO.
It claimed that the alliance had expanded too far to the east and posed a threat to national security, but Ukraine was not immediately close to joining.
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While Russia has accused the pact of current tensions, others have pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-standing obsession with returning Ukraine to Moscow’s flock.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin is keen that NATO does not expand further, as Russia seemed to turn its attention to Sweden and Finland.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the two nations “should not base their security on harming the security of other countries”.
She added: “Their accession to NATO could have harmful consequences and face certain military and political consequences.”
Later, reiterating the threat on Twitter, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said: “We consider the Finnish government’s commitment to a military freedom of alliance policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe.”
The ministry added: “Finland’s accession to @NATO would have serious military and political repercussions.”
This comes after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Vladimir Putin could penetrate further into Eastern Europe if he succeeds in taking over Ukraine.
It came when satellite images showed Russian troops and artillery building up along Belarus’ border with Poland.
Blinken said “you do not need an intelligence service” to see that Putin has ambitions outside Ukraine, adding that “he has made it clear that he would like to re-establish the Soviet empire”.
If that fails, he would like to bring countries back into the former Soviet bloc under Russia’s sphere of influence, or at least make them neutral by breaking ties with the West, the top diplomat added.
But Blinken said that an attack on NATO members, such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Romania, would be considered an attack on all members, which is the “most powerful deterrent” to Putin that extends beyond Ukraine.
Although they never rule it out, Finland and Sweden have never been in a hurry to join the alliance, as they have generally maintained a tradition of military neutrality.
But ironically, Russia’s aggression is likely to resume a debate within the two countries on their potential NATO membership and could force them to join.
Biden met with virtually NATO countries yesterday morning to assure Eastern members that they will be protected as Russian troops prepare to enter Kiev.
After the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the organization with 30 countries will send parts of its task force and spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flanks. This is the first time the force has been used to defend its own allies.
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