Finland’s NATO membership would “definitely” be a threat to Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
“The enlargement of NATO and the rapprochement of the Alliance to our borders does not make the world and our continent more stable and more secure”, declared Mr. Peskov to the press, responding “certainly” to the question of whether Russia would consider Finland’s entry into NATO as a threat.
The President and Prime Minister of Finland said they were in favor of joining NATO “without delay” on Thursday, specifying that the decision of the Nordic country would be announced to the organization on Sunday.
“Being a member of NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the alliance as a whole. Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement.
For Mr. Peskov, Russia’s response will depend on “the practical fallout from this process, the advance of military infrastructure towards our borders”.
“All this will constitute the elements of a specific analysis and for the elaboration of the necessary measures in order to balance the situation”, he added.
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