Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will respond “in kind” if NATO sets up infrastructure in Sweden and Finland.
The Russian despot released the chilling threat after the Scandinavian countries signed an agreement that paved the way for them to join the Western alliance.
Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying he could not rule out the possibility of “tensions arising” in Moscow’s relations with Helsinki and Stockholm.
He said he doesn’t have such problems with Sweden and Finland as with… Ukraine’.
But he said he would be forced to react in the mirror if NATO’s military infrastructure is deployed in these countries.
NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join today, six weeks after fueling the Kremlin’s ire by submitting applications.
It followed a breakthrough yesterday, when Turkey vetoed their bid to join the alliance after the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security.
It marks an embarrassing change in the tides of history for the Russian president, who has repeatedly insisted his “special military operation” was forced by the threat of NATO expansion into Ukraine.
He had previously warned Finland and Sweden that they would face “serious military and political consequences” if they end decades of neutrality by joining the bloc.
Sharing a long border with Russia, Finland was particularly desperate to avoid opposing Moscow, while also acting as a valuable diplomatic intermediary when talks with Western powers turned sour.
But Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a major sea change in both countries, whose armies were already working closely with NATO forces.
Even more bad news for the Russian dictator, NATO today agreed to a “fundamental shift” that will see NATO return to Cold War-esque readiness to respond to the increased threat posed by Moscow.
At a summit today in Madrid, leaders of 30 countries agreed to put 300,000 troops on high alert next year, up from the current level of 40,000.
For the UK, this means that the ‘majority’ of naval forces – including one of the aircraft carriers and its support ships – are available to NATO, along with additional air squadrons and units the size of a land brigade.
In addition, a further 1,000 British troops are being sent to Estonia to reinforce NATO’s presence on the border with Russia.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Putin “bad” when he urged alliance leaders to increase their defense budget.
He later announced an additional £1 billion in UK military aid to Ukraine, following pressure from his own MPs to increase defense spending.
The new funding represents a 77% increase over the £1.3bn already provided, with the prime minister claiming British aid “transformed Ukraine’s defences” against the Russian attack.
Mr Johnson said: “Putin’s brutality continues to cost Ukrainian lives and threaten peace and security across Europe.
“As Putin fails to achieve the gains he expected and hoped for, and the futility of this war becomes apparent to all, his attacks on the Ukrainian people are becoming increasingly barbaric.
British weapons, equipment and training are transforming Ukraine’s defenses against this attack.
“And we will stand firmly behind the Ukrainian people to make sure Putin fails in Ukraine.”
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