Sweden and Finland are more determined than ever to join NATO. Both Scandinavian countries feel threatened by Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. In response, Moscow intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on its European border.
“When NATO bases appear in Sweden and Finland, Russia will have no choice but to neutralize the imbalance and the new threat by deploying tactical nuclear weapons,” a Rossiya 1 commentator said on Sunday, a Russian public channel, in remarks reported by the DailyMail.
During the day, the Social Democratic Party in power in Sweden approved a candidacy for the Atlantic Alliance. A few hours earlier, Helsinki had announced that it was going to officially ask to join NATO, despite threats of reprisals from Russia, which shares a border of 1,300 kilometers with Finland.
“another serious error”
The candidatures of Sweden and Finland to NATO in reaction to the Russian offensive against Ukraine constitute a “serious error”, judged this Monday the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Ryabkov.
“This is a serious additional error, the consequences of which will be far-reaching,” he said, quoted by the Russian agency Interfax.
According to him, Russia’s response “will depend on the practical consequences of the accession” of the two Scandinavian countries to the Atlantic Alliance.
“For us, it is clear that the security of Sweden and Finland will not be strengthened by this decision,” he continued, noting that “the level of military tension (was going to) increase”.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party gave the green light on Sunday to a NATO bid shortly after Finland’s executive announced its desire to join the Western organization that Moscow sees as an existential threat .