Niinistö admits that Finland's accession to NATO will lead to the emergence of new Russian bases

The President was asked how he felt about Moscow's warnings about the consequences of NATO's eastward expansion at the expense of Finland.

In particular, the journalist recalled the words of Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, who said that Russia would have to strengthen its borders if Sweden and Finland joined NATO.

“This is a fairly consistent continuation of what we heard many years ago, including from President Putin,” Niinistö said.

With such a development of events, Finland will see that Russia may "group or create new bases, troops, and weapons in the area."

He also admitted that Russia will begin to increase its military presence in the Baltic region.

Dmitry Medvedev noted on April 14 that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the land borders of the alliance with Russia will more than double.

The Kremlin said that the NATO alliance is a tool sharpened for confrontation, its further expansion will not bring additional security to the European continent.