The Russian Government has warned against Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Russia insist a NATO membership of the two will further destabilize the European continent. This comes as US defense officials noted that the Russian military incursion in Ukraine, might booster NATO membership.

Russia warns Sweden and Finland against joining NATO.

The Russian government has warned that further enlargement of NATO will not help stabilizes the European continent. During a news briefing with reporters, the Russia spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated. “We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent,” he spoke.

Before Russia launched military operations in Ukraine in the month of February 2022, Russia had warned against  further expansion of NATO eastward. But the ongoing war has now led to more NATO troops on Russia’s eastern flank. Given the Russia military aggression in Ukraine, countries in the region are jittery and a public glamour in support for Swedish and Finnish NATO membership has taken centre stage in these countries.

However, U.S. officials noted that series of discussions had taken place last week between NATO leaders and ministers from Sweden and Finland. The results from the discussions seemed like, Sweden and Finland will be joining NATO anytime soon.

Prime Minister, Sanna Marin stated, “Her government will end discussion before midsummer on whether to make a membership application to join NATO”.

Alexander Stubb, who was the head of Finland’s government in 2014 and 2015, had stated last week, “that the country could decide to join the military alliance as soon as May”, he  remarked a day after Vladimir Dzhabarov, who happens to be a lawmaker for Russia, stated it is not clear enough to say if  Finland would want to sign a card for the devastation of their country.

He noted: ‘In the beginning of the war I said that Putin’s aggression will drive Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership. I said it was not a matter of days or weeks, but months. Time to revise: Finland will apply within weeks, latest May. Sweden to follow, or at the same time.” He added.

However, Ukraine’s deputy minister Iryna Vereshchuk,  has faulted Russia for holding civilians. He noted. “We have many priests, journalists, activists, mayors, and in general civilians who are in prisons, not, for example, even on the territory of Ukraine, but in [the] Kursk, Bryansk, Rostov [regions of Russia]… They are forcibly held there”. He added.