London – Archyde.com
Russia said on Monday that the West should “be under no illusions” that Moscow might simply turn a blind eye to NATO’s expansion into northern Europe to include Sweden and Finland, calling the move a “mistake that would stoke military tension”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the eastward expansion of NATO, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, towards the Russian borders, is one of the “reasons” for the military operation on Ukraine.
But the war caused one of the biggest changes to the European security architecture in decades, and prompted Sweden and Finland to take the previously uninspired step of joining NATO. Finland shares with Russia a border of regarding 1,300 km in length.
“They should have no illusions that we will simply turn a blind eye to this, and neither should Brussels, nor Washington, nor the rest of the capitals of NATO countries,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.
Ryabkov, who has led talks with the United States on a Russian proposal to halt NATO’s eastward expansion, said Helsinki and Stockholm’s decision to join the alliance was a “wrong decision”.
He continued, “The general level of military tension will rise, the ability to predict in such an atmosphere will decrease. It is unfortunate that common sense is sacrificed, in exchange for fictitious assumptions of what to do in this unfolding situation.”
