The American "Bloomberg" website quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying that Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO would have "military and political consequences," noting that both countries had expressed their rejection of the Russian position and considered the option to join the Not swearing is a decision they will make themselves.
Director of the European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Belyaev, told the state-owned Interfax news agency that the Scandinavian countries' accession to NATO would have military and political consequences, stressing that the two countries' reluctance to join the alliance would be "an important factor to ensure security and stability in Northern Europe."
Last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin had indicated that NATO's eastward expansion was one of the reasons for the Russian military operation in Ukraine, stressing that this matter represented a "security threat" to his country, especially after Kyiv announced its intention to join the alliance, whose members abide by the founding charter. On the issue of mutual defense.
Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said - commenting on the Russian official's statement - "We reject this kind of statements. The Swedish security policy is determined by Sweden... Russia has nothing to do with our independent decisions."
In turn, Marga Levala, Director-General of the Department of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declared that Finland "as a sovereign country, makes its security policy decisions based on its interests... It is very important for Finland that NATO's open door policy remains in place."
Recent opinion polls show that an increasing number of Swedes and Finns support joining the NATO defense bloc since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Earlier this week, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson calmed speculation about any near-term attempt by her country to join the alliance, saying it "could lead to more tension in Europe".