Swedish FM Says Russian Actions Provocative, But Not Threatening Country

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Sweden believes that Russia’s actions in the Baltic region are provocative yet they pose no direct threat to the country's national security, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said.

In October, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Russia had deployed Iskander-M mobile missile systems in its western region of Kaliningrad, bordering NATO members states, namely Poland and Lithuania. The deployment was carried out as part of a routine army practice, the ministry said. However, the European countries regarded the action as threatening the European security.

"We see threats of the use of nuclear weapons. They have had a very provocative posture in our neighborhood, not that we see they are direct threats to our territorial integrity or our security. There are no direct threats to Sweden. But it’s a behavior that’s been very provocative," Wallstrom said in an interview with the New York Times on Sunday.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied Russia was not a threat to any country, but will respond to actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed in June that Russia would not be dragged into a confrontation with the United States, NATO and the European Union and would ensure the security of its citizens under any circumstances.