Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy told a British news podcast that Finland and Sweden officials “know the moment they become members of the NATO, it will imply certain mirror moves on the Russian side.”
“If there are NATO detachments in those territories, these territories would become a target — or a possible target — for a strike,” Polyanskiy warned.
He continued, “NATO is a very unfriendly bloc to us. … It means that Finland and Sweden all of a sudden, instead of neutral countries, become part of the enemy and they bear all the risks.”
Psaki says US would support Finland, Sweden joining NATO
The United States “would support” Finland and Sweden applying to join NATO “should they choose to apply,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.
“We, of course, will respect whatever decision they make. Both Finland and Sweden are close and value defensive partners of the United States and of NATO,” she said.
If the countries do apply, Psaki said, it “should be reassuring to the American people about our own security interests.”
“Having a strong NATO alliance, a strong Western alliance, that’s a defensive alliance, by the way, it is good for our security around the world, certainly having a strong partnership with a range of countries, including Sweden and Finland,” she said.
Source: abcNEWS
