Russia warns NATO of membership in Finland, Sweden: The Tribune India
LONDON, April 14
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland join the US-led military alliance, Russia would need to strengthen its defense in the region, including the deployment of nuclear weapons.
Finland, which shares a 1,300 km (810 km) border with Russia, and Sweden are considering joining the NATO alliance.
Finland will make a decision in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday.
Dmitry Medvedev, Vice-Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said that if Sweden and Finland were to join NATO, Russia would have to strengthen its land, naval and air forces in the Baltic Sea.
Medvedev also explicitly addressed the nuclear threat by saying that it could no longer be a question of a “nuclear-free” Baltic Sea, where Russia has its Kaliningrad exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.
“There can no longer be any question of a nuclear-weapon-free status for the Baltic Sea. The balance must be restored,” said Medvedev, who was president from 2008 to 2012.
The United States said it did not have enough information to determine if the ship was hit by a missile.
“We do not currently have the capacity to independently verify it, but of course, how this developed is a big blow for Russia,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. – Reuters
Russian warship hit by a missile: Ukraine
Kyiv: Ukraine’s southern military command said on Thursday that it hit the Russian warship ‘Moscow’ with a Neptune missile on Wednesday, causing significant damage, and that the ship had begun to sink. The southern military command said in a Facebook post that a fire had started after the strike. Reuters