Moscow (The Times Groupe)- Russian officials have criticized Finland’s decision to apply for NATO membership – which was a reaction to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin both said on Thursday that Finland should apply for membership in the transatlantic military bloc “without delay.”
Ann Linde, Sweden’s foreign minister, said her country would follow suit without delay, arguing that “Swedish NATO membership would raise the threshold for military conflicts and prevent them in northern Europe.”
Fyodor Lukyanov, a Russian political analyst and expert in “Russian global affairs,” claims Finland joining NATO would increase Russia’s border with NATO member states by 800 miles. Putin has repeatedly cited NATO’s eastward expansion – which he believes threatens Russian security – as a reason for launching the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned that if Finland joined the alliance Moscow would have to respond with unspecified “military-technical” measures.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Finland’s accession to NATO will seriously harm bilateral Russian-Finnish relations and the maintenance of stability and security in the region. Russia will have to take retaliatory measures, both military-technical and otherwise, to neutralize the threat to its national security that has arisen as a result.”