The Vice-President of the Russian Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, today threatened the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Baltic if Sweden and Finland join NATO.
“The grouping of ground forces, air defence, and major naval forces will have to be strengthened in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. And in that case we will no longer be able to speak of a Baltic without nuclear weapons. The balance must be restored,” the senior official wrote on his Telegram account.
In addition, he added another threatening message: “We will trust that the wisdom of our northern neighbors will prevail. And if not, as they say, they have asked for it themselves.”
Medvedev, former prime minister and president of Russia between 2008 and 2012, stressed that for Moscow “it is not so important how many countries there are in NATO, 30 or 32”, since “two more, two less, due to their weight and population, do not make much difference.”
But he emphasized that if Sweden and Finland enter NATO, the length of the land border between Russia and the Atlantic Alliance will double, so - he emphasized - it will have to be strengthened. Finland has the longest border in the EU with Russia, 1,340 kilometres. Sweden has no border with the country.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Medvedev indicated that it makes no sense to think that the “special military operation” (what the Kremlin calls the invasion) in Ukraine is to blame for considering the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO.
“This is not so. Firstly, there were attempts to drag them to NATO before, and secondly, what is important, we do not have territorial disputes, as with Ukraine, with those countries,” he added.
The former Russian president indicated that public opinion in Sweden and Finland is almost equally divided on the need to join NATO.
“No one sensible wants prices and taxes to increase; to increase tension along borders, to have Iskander (missiles), hypersonic (weapons) and nuclear-armed ships literally one step away from home,” he added.
Moscow has warned that Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO would not contribute to stability in Europe. Officials said Russia would respond with reprisals that would have “military and political consequences” for Helsinki and Stockholm. One of the reasons given by Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine is that Kiev refused to promise that it would not join NATO.
The position of Sweden and Finland
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Wednesday in Stockholm, at a press conference together with her Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson, that Finland is ready to make a decision on NATO “within weeks” after a lengthy debate in the legislature.
Marin stressed that the two Nordic countries, which have close economic, political and military relations, will make independent decisions about their security and accession to NATO.
“But we do so with a clear understanding that our decisions will affect not only us but also our neighbors,” Marin said, adding that he would like to see both of them join NATO.
Andersson said that Sweden and Finland will have “a very close dialogue, with very frank and honest discussions” in the coming weeks about their respective decisions.
(with information from EFE)
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