If Finland and Sweden join NATO, the Russians will deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea TVNOVINY.sk – TVNOVINY.sk

One of Russia’s closest allies, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, warned the North Atlantic Alliance on Thursday that if Finland and Sweden became members, Moscow would take steps to strengthen its land, naval and air forces in the Baltic, including the deployment of nuclear weapons. TASR reports on the basis of a report from Reuters.
“Nuclear-free status in the Baltic Sea can no longer be talked about – the balance must be restored,” said Medvedev, who is vice president of the Russian Federation’s Security Council and held the post of Russian president from 2008-2012.
“Russia has not yet taken such measures and has not planned to,” he said, adding that Russia would have to respond to the development.
Finland and Sweden are considering applying to NATO due to the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The prime ministers of both countries said at a press conference on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine had changed the overall security situation and “dramatically changed the settings” of their countries.
According to Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Finland, which has a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia in the east, will decide whether to apply to the North Atlantic Alliance within a few weeks. In the past, Finland has decided not to join NATO so as not to provoke its eastern neighbor. However, the war in Ukraine has caused a turnaround in public and political opinion over long-term military neutrality in both Finland and neighboring Sweden.