Russia has warned NATO that if Sweden and Finland join the military alliance, it will be forced to beef up its nuclear defenses in the Baltic.
‘There can be no more discussion of a nuclear-free Baltic; the balance must be restored,’ said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman.
‘We will, of course, have to fortify these frontiers.’ Russia has not taken, and will not take, such actions till now. If our hand is forced, remember that we did not suggest this.’
Russia would’seriously reinforce its group of ground soldiers and air defenses, as well as deploy considerable naval forces in the Gulf of Finland,’ according to the former president.
The threat comes after Sweden and Finland moved closer to joining NATO yesterday, with their application bids expected to be presented in the coming weeks.
Magdalena Andersson, Sweden’s prime minister, is said to be eager for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance by June, much to the chagrin of Vladimir Putin, who attacked Ukraine in part because of the country’s ambition to join the agreement.
When asked about the journalistic statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “this has been discussed about many times” and that Putin has issued an order to “reinforce our western flank” due to NATO’s rising military might.
‘I can’t say…’ Peskov responded when asked if this reinforcement would include nuclear weapons. There will be a long list of actions and steps that must be taken. The president will address this at a separate meeting.’
According to Swedish media, the Swedish proposal will be filed at the NATO meeting in Madrid on June 29-20.
Finland, however, hopes to begin its application process “within weeks, not months,” according to Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
Finland also announced today that forces from the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia, and Estonia will take part in a military drill in Western Finland.