Will respond if NATO bolsters Sweden, Finland militarily: Putin

LONDON, May 16

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Monday that Russia would respond if NATO began to bolster the military infrastructure of Sweden and Finland which have both decided to join the US military alliance after the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin has repeatedly cited the post-Soviet enlargement of the NATO alliance eastwards towards Russia’s borders as a reason for the conflict of Ukraine.

Speaking to the leaders of a Russian-dominated military alliance of former Soviet states, Putin said the enlargement of NATO was being used by the United States in an “aggressive” way to aggravate an already difficult global security situation.

Russia, Putin said, had no problem with Finland or Sweden, so there was no direct threat from NATO enlargement which included those countries. — Reuters

Sweden joins Finland in seeking NATO berth

Stockholm: Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson announced on Monday that Sweden will join Finland in seeking NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. AP

Problems being created

Problems are being created for no reason at all. We shall react accordingly. — Vladimir Putin, Russian President