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NATO enlargement
Putin: No direct threat!
Vita gazette: Russian President Vladimir Putin, regarding Finland and Sweden’s decision to join NATO, “There is no direct threat to Russia in NATO’s expansion to Sweden and Finland, but the expansion of military infrastructure to this region will trigger our reaction.” said.
After Finland, Sweden, as expected, announced its intention to apply for NATO membership. The Anderson government will make a formal application to NATO. However, the Social Democrats have made it clear that the application for membership will be subject to the condition of not having nuclear weapons or permanent NATO-managed military bases on Swedish soil. Joining the Western military alliance would spell the end of nearly two centuries of neutrality for Sweden.
Putin: Artificial problems created by the USA
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Sweden, Finland and Russia do not have a problem and said, “There is no direct threat to Russia in NATO’s expansion to Sweden and Finland, but the expansion of military infrastructure to this region will trigger our reaction. We will look at the threats to be created. We will react accordingly,” he said.
Putin spoke at the leaders’ summit held at the Kremlin Palace on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan , Armenia).
Making evaluations about the expansion of NATO, Putin said that this enlargement was completely “a problem created artificially in line with the interests of the USA’s foreign policy”. Putin said that the aggressive use of NATO as a tool of a country’s foreign policy worsens the already difficult international security environment.
Stating that in addition to this expansion policy, the North Atlantic Alliance also goes beyond its geographical target, Putin stated that the union is trying to be more and more actively involved in international affairs and to control the international situation. Putin said that all this requires additional attention on their part.