The prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO was part of the discussion between foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels last week. However, on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned the countries against joining the alliance.
“The alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, the BBC reports. NATO growing to 32 members would “not bring stability” to Europe, he said.
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted the two Nordic countries to consider joining the U.S.-led alliance, according to Reuters, especially after Russia says its aims among other things is to degrade Ukraine’s military potential and prevent it from becoming a bridgehead for a NATO attack
Since the invasion began on February 24, 2022, public opinion polls commissioned by Finnish media outlets have shown a swift U-turn with the majority of Finns now favoring joining NATO.
Finland is especially unnerved by Russia’s attack on Ukraine because it has an 830-mile border with Russia. After dropping its strict neutrality years ago, Finland now is a NATO partner.
The Finnish government expects to decide on becoming a member in the next few months, with a former prime minister saying Finland probably will apply in time to attend the NATO summit in Madrid in June.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic party, which has traditionally opposed NATO membership, said it is rethinking this position in light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Party secretary Tobias Baudin told local media that the NATO review should be complete within the next few months. “When Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden’s security position changed fundamentally,” the party said in a statement on Monday.
Last week, Pescov said Russia will “rebalance the situation” if the two nations join NATO. US officials have said Russia’s invasion was a blunder that probably will result in NATO growing.
It is believed that The U.S. is in favor of the move that would see the Western alliance grow to 32 countries, reports the BBC. US State Department officials said last week that discussions had taken place between NATO leaders and foreign ministers from Helsinki and Stockholm.
