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Russia threatens 'consequences' if Finland and Sweden join NATO

2022-04-15T11:30:05.528Z


The two member countries of the European Union have been seriously considering joining NATO since Russia launched its war in the UK


New threat from Moscow.

NATO membership of Sweden and Finland would have consequences for these countries and European security, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Friday.

Read alsoFollow live the evolution of the situation on the war in Ukraine

These countries “must understand the consequences of such a step for our bilateral relations and for the European security architecture as a whole,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

“Being a member of NATO cannot strengthen their national security.

De facto, (Finland and Sweden) will be NATO's front line,” she said.

Helsinki and Stockholm are indeed considering joining the Atlantic Alliance in reaction to the Russian military offensive against Ukraine.

Reinforcement of nuclear means

Already on Thursday, the former Russian president and current number two of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev affirmed that if Finland or Sweden joined NATO, Russia would strengthen its military means, particularly nuclear ones, in the Baltic Sea and near Scandinavia.

Read alsoIs a rapprochement between NATO and Russia plausible, as proposed by Marine Le Pen?

Finland, which has some 1,300 km of border with Russia, will decide "within a few weeks" on a candidacy for NATO, according to its Prime Minister.

Sweden does not rule out joining the Western military alliance either, but seems more in the background than its neighbour.

Russia considers the Alliance to be an existential threat, and its offensive in Ukraine has been justified by the Kremlin in particular by kyiv's Atlanticist ambitions and Western political and military support for this neighbor of Russia.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2022-04-15

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