Joining NATO will make Sweden and Finland a ‘legitimate target’ warns Russia

Russia’s ambassador to Stockholm said Sweden and its next-door neighbour Finland would become ‘legitimate targets’ if they joined NATO, writes The Daily Mail.

Viktor Tatarintsev the Russian ambassador to Stockholm, announced on the embassy’s website said the two Nordic countries would become ‘legitimate targets’ of ‘retaliatory measures,’ including ‘military ones,’ after joining the international military alliance.

Both Sweden and Finland which shares an 830 mile (1,340km) border with Russia, both requested NATO membership shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The two countries are expecting to complete the process this year.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said ‘The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will summon the Russian ambassador to make a clear statement against this blatant attempt at influence.’

He added: ‘Sweden’s security policy is determined by Sweden, no one else.’

Sweden and Finland asked to join the NAT alliance last year, but the process has been held up by Hungary and Turkey.

The process involves all 30 NATO members agreeing to a country’s membership application if it wants to join.

Hungary’s parliament, finally approved a bill on Monday March 27 to allow Finland to join NATO, but the Swedish application has yet to be given the go-ahead.

Finland is currently waiting for Turkey to ratify its membership, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to do this following the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto’s visit earlier this month.

It was recently reported that Vladimir Putin was staging major nuclear missile exercises involving 3,000 troops, coupled with the latest comments these are seen as a blatant attempt at a show of strength to the West.

Russian troops are carrying out tests with the ‘invincible’ Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system across three regions in Russia.

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