BRUSSELS – Russia warned Finland and Sweden on Thursday that if they join NATO, Moscow will strengthen the Baltic Sea region, including with nuclear weapons. The threat came a day after Finnish officials suggested the country could apply to join the 30-member military alliance within weeks and as Sweden considered making a similar move. Finland is approaching NATO membership Helsinki and Stockholm are officially unattached military, but are reviewing their status in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – escalating warnings from Russia. Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of Putin who serves as Russia’s vice president of the Security Council, said on Thursday that NATO expansion would lead Russia to strengthen its air, land and naval forces to “balance” military capability in the region. “If Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the land border of the alliance with the Russian Federation will more than double. “Of course, these limits should be strengthened,” he wrote in the Telegram. “There can no longer be any talk of a nuclear-free regime in the Baltic – the balance must be restored,” Medvedev said. Putin’s war brings Finland, Sweden closer to NATO membership His comments echoed those of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov, who told British media last week that if the two Scandinavian countries joined NATO, Russia would be forced to “rebalance the situation”. He added: “We need to make our western side more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has used his opposition to NATO expansion as a pretext to invade Ukraine. His war there can now see the alliance jump from 30 to 32 members. The addition of Finland and Sweden to NATO will redraw the security picture of northern Europe, bringing the alliance’s borders to the more than 800-mile Finland-Russia border. A key NATO doctrine is Article 5, an agreement under which an armed attack on one member would be considered an attack on all, with an obligation of mutual defense. In both Finland and Sweden, this sounds increasingly appealing. What is NATO and why is Ukraine not a member? In both countries, Russia’s attack on neighboring Ukraine has led to a sharp shift in common sentiment about NATO, with more people supporting membership. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that her country was reconsidering the decision, but could move forward quickly. “We have to be prepared for any action by Russia,” Marin told reporters. “I will not give any timeline for when we will make our decisions, but I think it will happen fairly quickly – in weeks, not months.” Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats, who have traditionally opposed NATO membership, have also said they will reconsider their position in the coming months. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels last week that both countries meet NATO standards and will be welcomed by members if they wish to join. “There are no other countries that are closer to NATO,” he said.
