Russia threatens Baltic Sea nuclear expansion if Finland, Sweden joins NATO
Helsinki and Stockholm are officially non-aligned militarily, but they are reconsidering their status in the light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – escalating warnings from Russia.
Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of Putin who serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said on Thursday that NATO’s expansion would lead to Russia strengthening air, land and naval forces to “balance” military capabilities in the region.
“If Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the country’s borders with the Russian Federation will more than double. Of course, these boundaries will need to be strengthened “, he wrote on Telegram.
“There can no longer be any question of a nuclear-weapon-free status for the Baltic Sea – the balance must be restored,” Medvedev said.
His comments reflect the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who told the British media last week that if the two Nordic countries join NATO, Russia would be forced to “rebalance the situation”. He added, “We need to make our western flank more sophisticated when it comes to ensuring our safety.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his opposition to NATO expansion as a pretext to invade Ukraine. His war there can now make the alliance jump from 30 to 32 members.
Adding Finland and Sweden to NATO would redraw the security picture of northern Europe, which would bring the alliance’s border to the more than 800 km long Finnish-Russian border.
A key phrase in NATO is Article 5, an agreement that an armed attack on a member should be seen as an attack on all, with a duty of mutual defense. In both Finland and Sweden, it sounds increasingly appealing.
In both countries, Russia’s attack on neighboring Ukraine has led to a sharp change in public sentiment towards NATO, with more people supporting membership.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that her country is reviewing the decision but that it can go quickly.
“We must be prepared for all kinds of actions from Russia,” Marin said told report. “I will not provide any kind of timetable for us to make our decisions, but I think it will happen fairly quickly – within weeks not within months.”
Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats, who have traditionally opposed NATO membership, have also said they will reconsider their position in the coming months.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels last week that both countries meet NATO standards and would be welcomed by members if they would like to join.
“There are no other countries that are closer to NATO,” he said.