Russia warns of reprisals for any threats made by Sweden and Finland after joining NATO

A deputy spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on July 6 that Moscow will undoubtedly retaliate against any obstacles Sweden or Finland may posses following their admission to NATO. The admission of Sweden and Finland to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be "a step closer to the escalation of political and military tensions in Europe," the Russian diplomat warned adding that it would "aggravate things for the Baltic and Arctic regions."

"While getting ready to join NATO, Helsinki and Stockholm should realize what consequences this could lead to. Russia would inevitably respond to any measures the (Nordic) countries could take in order to pose threats to it," Alexey Zaitsev said at a press conference.

According to Zaitsev, there will be significantly less potential for peaceful cooperation, which is in high demand in the Nordic region. He went on to say that Helsinki and Stockholm must obey NATO's Brussels, or more specifically, Washington, directives. According to the diplomat, Washington used the NATO summit in Madrid to demonstrate "who's the boss."

The Russian diplomat regretted that the two independent Nordic countries "that have made a substantial contribution to the development of key military security elements after the Cold War actually consented to sharing the same fate as NATO’s periphery near the frontlines, in fact, getting themselves dragged into someone else’s geopolitical game against Russia."

Finland and Sweden concluded accession talks at NATO HQ

On July 4, Finland and Sweden concluded accession talks at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The talks were held between NATO officials and representatives from the two countries, according to a NATO statement, with the Finnish delegation led by Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen, and the Swedish delegation led by Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

To complete the official procedures, representatives from the 30 NATO member countries signed the accession protocols of Sweden and Finland on July 5, in accordance with the decision made at NATO's Madrid summit. For many years, Sweden and Finland were content to cooperate with NATO without joining the military alliance. But after Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine in February, the situation in Europe changed, and those two historically neutral countries filed applications to join NATO. 

Image: AP