Sweden's, Finland's NATO Accession Would Lead to 'Adequate Response' From Russia - SPUTNIK

The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, as both Nordic countries are increasingly participating in the alliance's drills, would require an adequate response from Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

Furthermore, Zakharova called NATO a “primarily military structure”, which “certainly doesn't have a defence agenda as its cornerstone, but instead is simply engaged in aggressive activities”.

According to the diplomat, Russia has always emphasised that it stands for “collective efforts, negotiations, and indivisible security”, yet is ready to take adequate measures, if necessary.

Zakharova emphasised NATO's purposeful work to “draw the two countries into the orbit of its interests and opportunistic policies”, which include an “increased participation in NATO's large-scale military drills and using their territory for such manoeuvres”.

Lastly, the diplomat emphasised that Russia views the non-alignment of Finland and Sweden as an important factor in ensuring stability in Northern Europe, whereas the choice of a national defence strategy remains the sovereign affair of each state.

While historically non-aligned for decades, Finland and Sweden have in recent years been drifting towards the alliance.