Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.Figure: flipping Twitter
Russia’s aggression once morest Ukraine has been criticized by all parties, and it has led to a change in the long-standing “military non-alignment” policy of Finland and Sweden. Finland said this week it would decide within weeks whether to apply for NATO membership; Sweden is also discussing NATO membership. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned today (15) days that there would be “consequences” if Finland and Sweden joined NATO; Moscow also asked the United States to stop sending arms to Ukraine, otherwise it would affect regional and international security.
“The choice is up to the Swedish and Finnish authorities, but they should understand how this move will affect our bilateral relations and the overall European security architecture,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement. She declared that the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO “is unlikely to contribute to their international prestige”.
Zakharova also said that the two countries’ existing non-alignment policies “provide a reliable level of security” and that membership in the NATO military alliance “does nothing to improve the national security of Finland and Sweden. The two countries will find that they are Put NATO at the forefront.” Dmitry Medvedev, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and deputy chairman of the National Security Council, threatened yesterday that Russia would strengthen the defense of the Baltic Sea region, including the deployment of nuclear weapons, due to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. .
The Washington Post reported that Moscow had warned the United States of “unpredictable consequences” if Washington continued to supply Ukraine with weapons. “We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which might have unforeseen consequences for regional and international security,” the Post quoted Moscow’s diplomatic note to Washington.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that it will attack foreign vehicles carrying weapons in Ukraine in an attempt to cut off Ukrainian military aid. The U.S. government has just agreed to the latest round of weapons reinforcements, including 18 155mm howitzers, 300 Switchblade drones, 11 Mi-17 helicopters and portable air and anti-tank missiles and millions of rounds of ammunition. The amount of military aid amounted to 800 million US dollars.
