On Thursday, Sweden formally became a NATO member, 11 months after Finland. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg believes that it makes the alliance stronger and safer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the whole thing a “meaningless step” in an interview with the state news agency Ria on Wednesday.
In the same interview, he announces that Russia will therefore send soldiers and weapons to the Finnish border.
– We didn’t have forces there, now there will be. There was no weapon system there, now there will be.
A warning maneuver
When Finland and Sweden said two years ago that they wished to join NATO, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council was clear in his speech. Such a registration would put the two countries on Russia’s list of enemies.
He said that in such a situation, it would be relevant for the Russians to expand their ground forces, their air defense and naval forces in the vicinity of Finland.
Nuclear weapons and the United States
– Nuclear weapons exist to be used. We have our own principles.
Putin also warned in the Ria interview that Russia is technically ready for a nuclear war. He then added that if the US sends military forces to Ukraine, this will be seen as an escalation of the war.
And if the USA chooses to conduct nuclear exercises, Russia can do the same, he warns.
But the Russian president also emphasized that this is not the situation today, and that he sees no reason to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine now.
– Why should we use weapons made for mass destruction? There has never been such a need.
According to Reuters, Russia and the United States are the largest nuclear powers in the world and control over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Hør Utanriksredaktionen’s podcast:
2024-03-13 05:55:19
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