Moscow, Apr 4: Finland’s accession to NATO is another aggravation of the situation, and Moscow considers the expansion of the alliance an infringement on its security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the office of Finnish President Sauli Niinistoe and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland will officially become the member of NATO on April 4.
“The Kremlin believes that this is another aggravation of the situation. The expansion of NATO is an infringement on our security and Russia’s national interests,” Peskov told a briefing.
The expansion of NATO forces Russia to take countermeasures to ensure its own security, the spokesman added.
“Naturally, this forces us to take countermeasures to ensure our own security both tactically and strategically,” Peskov said.
The situation with Finland’s accession to NATO is fundamentally different from the problem with Ukraine, as this country has never had an anti-Russian rhetoric, Peskov said.
“The situation with Finland, of course, is radically different from the situation with Ukraine, because, firstly, Finland has never had anti-Russian rhetoric, and we have had no disputes with Finland. With Ukraine, the situation is the opposite and potentially much more dangerous,” Peskov said.