“No Problem with Finland, Sweden” Putin Vows Response to NATO Expansion

Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that Moscow has no problem with Finland and Sweden but promised to take measures in response to the expansion of NATO’s military infrastructure.

"The expansion of military infrastructure to that territory [Finland and Sweden] will undoubtedly trigger our counter-reaction," Putin said at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Kremlin.

"Generally speaking, this problem is being created from scratch," Putin stressed. "We will respond to this accordingly," Putin indicated.

"Aside from this endless expansionist policy, the North Atlantic alliance also goes beyond the framework of its geographical designation, beyond the scope of the Euro-Atlantic region and seeks to get involved in international issues ever more actively and control the international situation from the standpoint of security, and influence them in other regions of the world and by far not in the best way," the Russian leader stressed.

"This will undoubtedly require our additional attention," he added.

In the same vein, Putin asserted that NATO’s expansion to Finland and Sweden does not pose a direct threat to Moscow since Russia has no problems with those countries.

"As for the expansion [by NATO], in particular, through the admission of new members, Finland and Sweden, Russia has no problems with those states," he reiterated. "That is why the [alliance’s] expansion through those countries does not create an immediate danger to Russia."