Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said during the signing yesterday: “We do not expect the United States to provide Finnish defense.” “But this agreement greatly improves our ability to work together in all situations.”
Russia’s response was not long. This morning the Finnish Ambassador had to report immediately to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Russia says it fears, among other things, that the Americans will deploy nuclear weapons on the border between Finland and Russia.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the Finnish ambassador was informed that “Russia will not leave the build-up of NATO military capabilities on the border unanswered” because it “threatens Russia’s security.” She added that Russia would take “necessary measures” to “confront the aggressive decisions of Finland and its NATO allies.”
Zacharova places the responsibility on Finland: “The responsibility for turning the good-neighborly zone into a potential confrontation zone lies entirely with the Finnish authorities.”
On Sunday, Vladimir Putin accused the West of “dragging Finland into NATO.” He claimed that such membership would create “problems” where “there are none.”
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