Neutral Finland and Sweden have agreed to join NATO in defiance of Russia’s threats.
As major Finnish and Swedish newspapers confirmed, the two governments, which had maintained neutrality since World War 2, have agreed to join the military alliance simultaneously next month.
According to the reports, the countries will file applications to join NATO sometime in the week of May 22.
While not yet members of NATO, both Sweden and Finland have cooperated with the alliance – in terms of allowing NATO to carry out exercises and drills on their soil – in recent years.
The swift decision to join the alliance comes after Putin’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine and after Kremlin’s warnings that any country that meddles in Russia’s war will suffer terrible consequences.
Previously, Moscow warned that Russia will be forced to deploy nuclear weapons should the two countries agree to join NATO.
“Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders,” former Russian president and Putin’s close ally Dmitry Medvedev said.
“In this case, it would not be possible to talk anymore about the Baltic non-nuclear status. The balance has to be restored.”
Meanwhile, Maria Zakharova of the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “The choice is up to the authorities of Sweden and Finland. But they should understand the consequences of such a step for our bilateral relations and for the architecture of European security as a whole.
“They will automatically find themselves on the NATO frontline.”
Issuing threats to the two sovereign nations was also Sergei Belyayev of Russia’s foreign ministry who warned of unspecified “retaliatory measures” should the two countries join NATO.
“It is obvious that [if] Finland and Sweden join NATO, which is a military organization to begin with, there will be serious military and political consequences,” he said.
Regardless of the threats made, Sweden and Finland began deliberating joining the military alliance shortly after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We shy away from such statements. The Swedish security policy is determined by Sweden. Russia has nothing to do with our independent decisions,” the Swedish government previously said in response to Russia’s threats.
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