LONDON: One of the Russian President Vladimir of his closest ally warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined the US-led military alliance, Russia must increase its defenses in the region, including by mobilizing nuclear weapons.
Finland, who shared a 1,300 km border (810 miles) with Russia, and Sweden fans whether to join the NATO alliance. Finland will make a decision in the next few weeks, Sanna Marin’s Prime Minister said on Wednesday.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Security Council, said that Sweden and Finland had to join NATO, Russia had to strengthen the power of land, the navy and air in the Baltic Sea to restore military balance.
Medvedev also explicitly lifted the nuclear threat by saying that there would be no more talks about the Baltic “free nuclear” – where Russia had Kaliningrad’s exkukup was pinned between Poland and Lithuania.
“There is no discussion about nuclear free status for Baltic – balance must be restored,” said Medvedev, who was the president of 2008-2012.
“To this day, Russia hasn’t taken such steps and won’t,” Medvedev said.
“If our hands are forced properly … Notice it’s not we who propose this,” he added.
Invasion February 24 Russia to Ukraine has killed thousands of people, moving millions and raises concerns about the wider confrontation between Russia and the United States.
Putin said “special military operations” in Ukraine needed because the United States uses Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow must survive against the persecution of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.
Ukraine said he was struggling against the imperial-style land and Putin genocide claims were nonsense.