Putin said Finland and Sweden joining NATO would be a “meaningless step.”
Moscow:
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Wednesday to deploy troops and strike systems near Finland’s borders after Finland joins NATO, Al Jazeera reported.
Putin said Finland and Sweden’s membership of NATO was a “pointless step,” adding that Russia would deploy troops and sabotage systems on Finland’s borders after joining the alliance last April.
“This is an absolutely pointless step [for Finland and Sweden] From the perspective of ensuring one’s own national interests,” Putin told Russia’s RIA state news agency and Rossiya-1 state television in a wide-ranging interview.
“We don’t have an army there [at the Finland border], they will be there now. There were no broken systems there and now they will appear,” he added.
Sweden joined NATO on Thursday, becoming the organization’s newest member, abandoning its longstanding neutrality following Russia’s offensive in Ukraine more than two years ago. According to “Politico”, Hungary was the last country among the 31 alliance countries to ratify Sweden. After submitting the ratification documents, Sweden’s membership officially came into effect.
Sweden is now fully protected by the alliance’s Article 5, which requires all other members to defend each other if attacked.
To officially celebrate joining, a flag-raising ceremony is planned for Monday (March 11) at the union headquarters in Brussels, Politico reported.
Sweden’s neighbor Finland became a member of the alliance on April 4 last year. As a result of the alliance between the two Nordic countries, NATO controls almost the entire Baltic Sea.
Sweden has a strong arms industry and a well-equipped army. The country plans to spend 2.1% of GDP on defense this year, roughly double the amount in 2020 and exceeding NATO’s target, Politico reported.
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