A senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday that the latest country to join NATO would be the first to suffer from escalating tensions between Moscow and the alliance due to the expansion of their shared border, Reuters reported.
Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO at the beginning of April this year after deciding to renounce its historic neutrality in the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“They lived in peace and quiet, and then suddenly found themselves between Russia and NATO as members of this alliance. But, since they are our neighbors, they will be the first to suffer if, God forbid, there is any escalation,” said Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna.
Senior Russian officials and Moscow propaganda have been saying since last year, after numerous battlefield failures of the invasion forces, that Russia is not only fighting against Ukraine, but also opposing the so-called “collective West,” which includes NATO.
Russia accused Finland of threatening its security
Last week, Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Finland’s ambassador to Moscow to voice its opposition to a new defense deal that gives the United States wide access near their shared border, accusing it of “threatening the security of the Russian Federation.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the ambassador of Finland was informed that Moscow “will not leave without a response the increase of NATO’s military potential on our border, which threatens the security of the Russian Federation, and will take the necessary measures.” measures to counter the aggressive actions of Finland and its NATO allies”.
The agreement with the United States, announced last Monday by the Finnish government, aims to allow rapid military access and assistance to Finland in the event of a conflict, officials in Helsinki and Washington said. The agreement lists 15 sites and areas in Finland to which the US military will have unrestricted access and where they can also store military equipment and ammunition, including four air bases and a military port.
Russia hinted this Wednesday that it will deploy its latest howitzers with a range of up to 70 kilometers on the border with Finland to bolster Russia’s Northern Military District.
Source: Hot News
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