Russia has threatened its close Arctic neighbours Sweden and Finland with ‘military consequences’ if they join NATO.
In a live video coverage late Friday evening, Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said ‘Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries.
She further insisted that if these countries choose to join NATO, it might end up in some military and political consequences.
The Russian foreign ministry later reiterated the threat on Twitter.
‘We regard the Finnish government’s commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe,’ the department wrote.
‘Finland’s accession to NATO would have serious military and political repercussions.’
Vladimir Putin is widely believed to have attacked Ukraine after western nations mooted the idea of the country joining NATO, over fears it could end up with a US military presence on its doorstep.
