Putin: Russia will respond if Nato sets up infrastructure in Finland, Sweden

By: 3 years ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia鈥檚 annexation of Crimea at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia March 18, 2022. RIA Novosti Host Photo Agency/Alexander Vilf via REUTERS

MOSCOW 鈥� President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if Nato deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance.

鈥淲ith Sweden and Finland, we don鈥檛 have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join Nato, go ahead,鈥� Putin told Russian state television after talks with regional leaders in the central Asian ex-Soviet state of Turkmenistan.

鈥淏ut they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created.鈥�

He said it was inevitable that Moscow鈥檚 relations with Helsinki and Stockholm would sour over their Nato membership.

鈥淓verything was fine between us, but now there might be some tensions, there certainly will,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inevitable if there is a threat to us.鈥�

Putin made his comment a day after Nato member Turkey lifted its veto over the bid by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after the three nations agreed to protect each other鈥檚 security.

The move means Helsinki and Stockholm can proceed with their application to join Nato, marking the biggest shift in European security in decades.

Putin added that the objectives of what Moscow calls its 鈥渟pecial military operation鈥� in Ukraine remained unchanged, that its goal was to 鈥渓iberate鈥� eastern Ukraine鈥檚 Donbas region and create conditions to ensure Russia鈥檚 security.

He said Russian troops had advanced in Ukraine and that the military intervention was going as planned. There was no need, he said, to set a deadline for an end to the campaign.

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