Russia has issued a new warning about the possible consequences of Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
The warning came from a spokesman for the State Department Maria Zakharovawhich commented on television channel Russia-24 on Wednesday, the same day that Finnish MPs were due to officially begin a debate on the NATO issue.
"Under the auspices of the United States, Brussels has been pulling Sweden and Finland into its structures for some time;" Zakharova said.
"We issued all our warnings – both publicly and through bilateral channels. They know this, so there are no surprises. They were told everything it would lead to," he added without specifying the consequences.
Talks about Finland’s possible NATO membership increased significantly after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
Russia has issued numerous warnings about Finland’s possible accession to the military alliance, especially when the idea was supported by both the Finnish public and politics.
Last week, the former president of Russia Dmitry Medvedevwarned that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, Russia must strengthen its defense in the Baltic Sea region, including through nuclear weapons.
NATO support is growing
Recent surveys show that a growing majority of Finnish citizens, as well as legislators, are in favor of applying for NATO membership. The results of Yle’s survey, published in mid-March, received record support: 62 per cent of respondents approved Finland’s accession to NATO.
A few days after Russia’s deadly attack on Ukraine began, Yle’s poll found that public acceptance of joining the alliance had risen significantly, with 53 per cent of respondents in favor of such a measure – an increase of around 34 percentage points from the corresponding poll. in 2017.
An informal poll about two weeks ago found that support for joining the union was also growing among MPs.
Deputies are due to formally begin discussions on the Wednesday afternoon.
The Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that Finland will send more defense equipment assistance to Ukraine.
However, the Ministry did not specify what type of equipment would be shipped or when and how it would be delivered, "to ensure that the aid arrives at its destination."
Source: The Nordic Page