Russian authorities have warned that they could use nuclear force to strengthen its defenses in the Baltic Sea as Finland and Sweden make separate talks to apply for a NATO membership over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The two Nordic countries have made unrelated moves to advance their plans of joining the treaty, with Finland suggesting it preferred a solution both of them will become members of NATO. On the other hand, Sweden decided to examine a range of security-related options, including deepening Nordic defense cooperation.
Finland, Sweden Pursue NATO Memberships
Furthermore, Swedish authorities urged the European Union to develop enhanced defense policies that would provide greater military protection to EU member states that border the highly sensitive Baltic Sea and High North regions. But unlike Sweden, Finland's government already has wheels in motion that aim to fast-track its application to join NATO.
The decision was made primarily due to the backdrop of heightened security tensions in the region that have been elevated by Russia's war on Ukraine. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said to opposition party leaders that she was expecting a decision on NATO membership soon, as per Yahoo News.
Moscow's statements on Thursday said that there would no longer be any more talks of a nuclear-free status for the Baltic, arguing that the "balance must be restored." The deputy chairman of Russia's security council and former president, Dmitry Medvedev, was the one who made the remarks.
Medvedev said that until today, his country did not take such measures and was not planning to do so but said that, if it is forced to do so, Russia was willing to choose the idea. However, the former president said that it was not Moscow who proposed the idea.
According to Fox News, Finland and Sweden's prime ministers on Wednesday held a joint news conference in Stockholm to discuss the issue. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that her country was making similar choices to Finland's government.
Russia's Nuclear Threat
Medvedev said that he was hoping for Finland and Sweden to soon see sense and retract their desire to join the NATO alliance. He warned that, if the two Nordic regions chose to pursue their applications, they would have to live with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles close to home.
The threat comes as Russia is the holder of the largest arsenal of nuclear warheads in the world and joins China and the United States as the global leaders in hypersonic missile technology. In an interview, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Medvedev's remarks have been talked about many times before.
Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin has already issued an order on "reinforcing our western flank" due to NATO's growing military potential in the region. But when asked whether or not the reinforcement would include nuclear armaments in the surrounding region, the spokesman said that he was unable to confirm the reports. "There will be a whole list of measures, necessary steps. This will be covered at a separate meeting by the president," he said, Aljazeera reported.
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