“In this case, we cannot talk about the non-nuclear status of the Baltic Sea: the balance must be restored. So far, Russia has not taken these measures and has no intention of doing so,” the senior official said on his Telegram social network channel.
He warned that the length of the alliance’s land borders with Russia will more than double if Stockholm and Helsinki join this military bloc. “Of course, these borders must be strengthened,” he stressed.
In his opinion, Russia’s ground and air defense forces need to be significantly strengthened, and significant naval forces stationed in the Gulf of Finland.
Medvedev pointed out that the governments of Sweden and Finland are now discussing the possibility of joining the alliance “with bestial seriousness,” while NATO itself “is ready to accept it,” he said, “in the shortest possible time and with a minimum of Formalities”. bureaucratic”.
In the face of such a situation, Moscow must react “without emotion, with a cool head,” advised the former Russian president.
Regarding the connection between the new decision of these countries and Russia’s military action in Ukraine, he warned that it makes no sense to judge whether the attitude would have been different if the war had not happened.
“That is not the case. First of all, attempts have already been made to draw them into the alliance. Second, and most importantly, we do not have territorial disputes with these countries like we have with Ukraine. And that is why the price of this membership is for us another,” he explained.
The day before, both nations took important steps towards their eventual entry into the Euro-Atlantic bloc.
The Finnish government has submitted a security report to lawmakers, while the Swedish ruling party has launched a review of its security policy options.
At a press conference in Stockholm this Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, along with her Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson, said their country was ready to make a decision on NATO within weeks after a long debate in the legislature.
He commented that the two Nordic countries, with strong economic, political and military ties, would make independent decisions about their security and joining the alliance.
For his part, Andersson assured that both executives will have “a very close dialogue with very open and honest discussions” about their respective decisions in the coming weeks.
This Monday, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the expansion of this military bloc, including the possibility to include Finland and Sweden, will not contribute to security in Europe.
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