LONDON (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Thursday that Finland’s move to join NATO was “definitely” a threat to Russia and that the expansion of the military bloc would not make Europe or the world more stable.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the steps taken by Finland to join NATO were a cause for regret and a reason to impose a symmetrical response.
Finland’s president and prime minister said earlier on Thursday their country must apply to join the NATO military alliance “without delay.”
Asked whether this presented a threat to Russia, Peskov said: “Definitely. NATO expansion does not make our continent more stable and secure.”
He said Finland had joined “unfriendly steps” against Russia.
Asked what form Russia’s response would take, he replied: “Everything will depend on how this (NATO) expansion process of NATO expansion plays out, the extent to which military infrastructure moves closer to our borders.”
Before Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Finland had since World War Two maintained a policy of neutrality regarding Russia, with which it shares a 1,340 km (830 mile) border.
The country is now likely to join NATO this year, alongside its neighbour Sweden, another traditionally neutral power that had refrained from joining the U.S.-led alliance. nL2N2X40BX]
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
