Russia Warns Sweden, Finland Against Joining NATO

 

The Kremlin has warned Finland and Sweden against joining NATO, arguing that the possible accession of the countries to the military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.

“We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a news briefing when asked about the possibility of the nations joining NATO.

His remarks came shortly after U.S. officials told The Times of London that Finland and Sweden could join the alliance as soon as the summer, with NATO membership for both countries being “a topic of conversation and multiple sessions” last week during talks between NATO’s foreign ministers attended by Sweden and Finland.

An Estonian diplomatic official and an official in the U.K.’s NATO delegation told Newsweek that The Times report was accurate. The Estonian official said both Sweden and Finland participated in a NATO meeting last week.

The Times reported that Finland could submit an application for NATO membership in June, with Sweden expected to follow.

Newsweek contacted NATO for comment, but was redirected to comments made by the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last week.

Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on April 2 that the country will make up its mind by the end of spring on whether to apply to become a member of the alliance.

“Russia is not the neighbour we thought it was,” Mari said, adding that the country’s relations with Moscow have changed in an “irreversible” way since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24.

The secretary for Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic party, Tobias Baudin, told local media outlets that it was reviewing its international security policy, and would discuss whether or not to join NATO. That review should be complete within the next few months, he said.

Sergei Belyaev, director of the Second European Department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, earlier told Russia’s state-run news agency Interfax that the two Nordic countries not joining NATO is “an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe”.

And a day after Putin’s invasion began, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned of “serious military-political repercussions” should Finland and Sweden join NATO.

Stoltenberg told CNN’s Dana Bash on April 3 that should Finland and Sweden apply for NATO membership they will be “very much welcomed by all allies” and that “we will find a way to do that in a relatively quick way, to take them into the alliance”.

The move would see NATO grow to 32 members. Putin has expressed concerns that the alliance’s expansion east poses a security threat to Russia.

Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for additional comment, as well as the Finnish and Swedish authorities.