On Thursday, Russia described Finland’s ambition to join NATO as a hostile move that “absolutely” threatened its security.
The Kremlin said it will reply, but declined to explain how, saying it would depend on how close NATO military assets approach the 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) Finnish-Russian border.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated that “retaliatory steps, both military-technical and other in character, will be necessary to prevent threats to its national security from developing.”
It stated that Helsinki “must be cognizant of the responsibility and repercussions of such a step.”
The action by Finland, which Sweden is poised to follow, puts President Vladimir Putin in the position of facing the precise consequence he said his war in Ukraine was intended to prevent: further NATO expansion to Russia’s borders.
“Finland has joined the European Union’s hostile actions against our country. This can’t help but make us feel bad, and it’s a justification for proportional responses on our part “Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said reporters.
Finland’s president and prime minister declared earlier on Thursday that their country must “immediately” apply to join NATO.
When asked if this posed a threat to Russia, Peskov responded: “Certainly. NATO expansion does not improve the stability and security of our continent.”
Because of Russia’s war, Finland and Sweden are considering breaking their long-standing neutrality and seeking refuge behind the alliance’s security umbrella.
“Everything will depend on how this (NATO) expansion process plays out, the extent to which military infrastructure gets closer to our borders,” Peskov said when asked what form Russia’s retaliation might take.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as the vice chairman of the UN Security Council, has previously discussed the possibility of stationing nuclear-armed missiles in the Russian Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad.
Peskov was also questioned about Medvedev’s remarks on Thursday that expanding military backing for Ukraine by the US and its allies risked sparking a battle between Russia and NATO, with the possibility of nuclear war.
He responded that everyone wanted to avoid a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, but he also reiterated Putin’s warning that anyone who sought to meddle with what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine would face “the most decisive response.”
