The North Atlantic Alliance seeks to build up its military presence near the Russian borders, but the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO will not benefit these countries. On Monday, April 11, Dmitry Belik, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestiya.
“The United States will continue to look for countries where they can deploy NATO weapons. Finland has a long land border with our country, which means that it is convenient for the alliance to approach Russia. Under the guise of confronting “Russian aggression”, NATO is seeking to increase its military presence near the Russian borders, but Russia will not watch this indifferently. This issue seriously affects our security, so we will be forced to take retaliatory steps,” he stressed.
The politician recalled that both Sweden and Finland had been neutral for a long time, not joining military alliances. Despite their non-bloc status, both countries are actively cooperating with NATO, he noted, adding that it is one thing to cooperate, and quite another to be full members of the alliance.
“The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO puts them in a very difficult position. They need to be prepared for the fact that American troops and weapons will appear on their territory, aimed at confronting Russia, and our country will take appropriate actions in response to this challenge. Finns and Swedes will obviously not benefit from NATO membership, we can already see a split in society on this issue, ”said Belik.
The movement in this direction is now particularly intensified, since it is very beneficial for the United States and the alliance against the background of the special operation of the Russian Federation to protect the Donbass, during which the tasks of demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine are being carried out, to protect the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR, to talk about “Moscow’s aggression” and along the way to draw neutral states into their geopolitical and military games, the deputy concluded.
Earlier in the day, the British newspaper The Times, citing sources, reported that Finland would apply to join the North Atlantic Alliance in June 2022, followed by Sweden.
It was pointed out that the authorities of the two countries are together trying to reach a consensus within the states on joining NATO, while the final decision of the state will be taken independently.
On April 7, it was reported that Finland had decided to apply for membership through the supplementary registration procedure. The country’s authorities are preparing to apply and join the alliance at the end of April.
On April 3, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the North Atlantic Alliance will find ways to quickly accept Finland and Sweden into its membership if these countries want to join the bloc.
On March 5, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö announced the country’s readiness to discuss joining NATO, as the attitude of the population towards this issue has changed.
On February 24, Russia launched a special operation to protect Donbass. Moscow explained that the tasks of the special operation include the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, the implementation of which is necessary to ensure the security of Russia. The decision was made against the backdrop of aggravation in the region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian military.