Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic and Scandinavian countries if Finland or Sweden decided to join NATO.
Medvedev, Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Security Council and the President from 2008 to 2012, wrote about Telegram that if countries join, this will be more than twice Russian land with NATO members.In this case, it is impossible to speak again about the status of non-nuclear Baltic. The balance must be restored, “he said, showing that Russia has the right to spread nuclear weapons in the region.
The former president said Russia would be “seriously strengthening the group of land and air defense strength and spreading significant naval power in the Gulf of Finland.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about comments by journalists, said that “this has been discussed many times” and President Vladimir Putin has issued orders on “strengthening our western wings” because of NATO’s military potential.
Asked whether this reinforcement will cover nuclear weapons, Mr. PESKOV said: “I can’t say … there will be a whole list of steps, the steps needed. This will be discussed at a separate meeting by the President.”