This Moscow-led alliance brings together countries from the former Soviet Union and includes, in addition to Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
“This is a problem that is created completely artificially because it is done in the interest of the United States,” said the Russian president, adding that the Atlantic Alliance has become “the foreign policy instrument of a single country.” “All this exacerbates an international situation that was already difficult,” he added at the meeting held in the Russian capital.
Action and reaction
Finland and Sweden are poised to reverse course from their non-alignment policy to join NATO as a defense amid fears of Russian aggression after Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Finland announced on Sunday its intention to join NATO. Meanwhile, Sweden confirmed yesterday that it will apply for membership.
After nearly two centuries of military non-alignment, “we closed one era to enter another,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a press conference.
Deadlines
Sweden hopes to gain entry within a year, the Social Democrat chief executive said, at a time when NATO is trying to assuage some last-minute reservations expressed by Turkey, whose favorable vote is necessary for expansion to the north of Europe can be realized.
The new members need unanimity and ratification in the parliaments of the countries that already form the military alliance.
Other Nordic countries such as Norway, Denmark and Iceland, which are already members of NATO, promised on Monday to assist Sweden and Finland in case of Russian retaliation.
In a context in which the Kremlin justifies its invasion of Ukraine due to the risk of NATO expanding towards its borders, Finland’s accession would extend the limits of the military alliance with Russian territory by nearly 1,300 kilometers, something that analysts they consider a real “shot in the butt” caused by the invasion.
Source: Ambito
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