The possible accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO risks undermining stability in northern Europe, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"It's no secret that NATO has long been active on the territories of these countries, they were holding large-scale military exercises there. It is clear why the alliance needs this. The goal is to continue building up military potential and geographical expansion, and to create another flank from where to threaten Russia. But it is not clear why our Finnish and Swedish neighbours in the Baltic region would turn into a new frontier of NATO's confrontation with Russia. The negative consequences for peace and stability in Northern Europe are obvious," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment published on the ministry's website.
According to the spokeswoman, these countries' membership in NATO won't help them strengthen their national security.
"They will automatically find themselves on the NATO 'front line'. Apart from this, membership in NATO actually implies that a member country will have to renounce part of its sovereignty while making decisions on defence and foreign policy. But this became a trend long before the current situation; the EU member states, including its non-aligned countries, gradually turned into an instrument obediently following the destructive policies of the United States and NATO," Zakharova said.
"NATO membership won't strengthen the international prestige of Sweden and Finland, countries that used to promote many constructive and unifying initiatives," she added. "As soon as they join the alliance, Stockholm and Helsinki will no longer have such an opportunity," Zakharova concluded.
This statement comes against the background of media reports in Sweden and Finland about the two countries considering NATO membership in the near future. Both countries have remained neutral for many years, but the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine has prompted Stockholm and Helsinki to consider changing their positions.
Earlier this week, Svenska Dagbladet reported that Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson was going to file an application for her country to join NATO in June. Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, for her part, announced that her country would decide on whether or not to apply for NATO membership "within weeks".