Russia will deploy nuclear arms in Baltic Sea if Finland, Sweden join NATO: Moscow warns

Former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has warned that Moscow will deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic States if Finland and Sweden join the US-led NATO.

Medvedev, who is currently the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, sounded the warning on Thursday, saying if Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, and Sweden joined the US-led military alliance, it would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO member states.

“Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders,” he said. “In this case, it would not be possible to talk any more about the Baltic non-nuclear status. The balance has to be restored,” Medvedev added, indicating that Russia would be then entitled to deploy nuclear weapons in the region.

Medvedev, who served as the Russian president from 2008 to 2012, stressed that Russia would “seriously reinforce its group of ground forces and air defenses and deploy significant naval forces in the Gulf of Finland.”

The former Russian president also said that he hoped Finland and Sweden would see sense. If not, he said, they would have to live with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles close to home.

“No sane person wants higher prices and higher taxes, increased tensions along borders, Iskanders, hypersonics and ships with nuclear weapons literally at arm's length from their own home,” Medvedev added.

Russia warns against NATO expansion; UK says all options on table

Russia has renewed its warning against further expansion of the NATO military alliance, saying the alliance remains “a tool of confrontation”.

Later in the day, when reporters asked Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about Medvedev’s comments, he said that “this has been talked about many times” and Russian President Vladimir Putin had issued an order on “reinforcing our western flank” due to NATO’s increasing military potential.

When asked whether such reinforcement would include nuclear weapons, Peskov responded that he “can't say,” adding, “There will be a whole list of measures, necessary steps. This will be covered at a separate meeting by the president.”

Peskov on Monday also stressed that the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.

“We have repeatedly said that the [NATO] alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent,” he said at the time.

Russia has the world's biggest arsenal of nuclear warheads.

Putin announced a “special military operation” on February 24 to demilitarize Donetsk and Luhansk, largely populated by ethnic Russians, in eastern Ukraine. The US and its European allies have labeled the military operation as “Putin’s land grab,” imposing waves of unprecedented sanctions on Moscow, which stresses that it will halt the operation instantly if Kiev meets Russia’s list of demands, including never applying to join NATO.

Washington justifies NATO’s enlargement as a move in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which has led to a simmering crisis between the two countries.

Stoltenberg: NATO plans permanent military presence at border with Russia

NATO countries have planned for a permanent military presence on the alliance’s eastern border in an effort to contain future Russian military actions, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The war in Ukraine has made a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in both Finland and Sweden over long-held policies of military non-alignment.

On Wednesday, Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the country would decide whether to apply for NATO membership within weeks and Sweden is also discussing membership.

Separately on Thursday, Helsinki announced a military exercise in western Finland with the participation of Britain, the US, Latvia and Estonia.

Finland achieved independence from Russia in 1917 and fought two wars against it during the Second World War, losing some territory. Sweden, whose foreign policy has focused on supporting democracy and nuclear disarmament, has not fought a war for the last 200 years.

Kremlin: Putin to weigh security options if Finland, Sweden join NATO

In a related development on Thursday, the Kremlin spokesman said Russia's President Putin will consider a range of measures to bolster the country’s security if Finland or Sweden join NATO, once the Defense Ministry presents him with its proposals on the subject.

“There is a current order of our president to the Defense Ministry to ready proposals for bolstering our western flank, if NATO will continue its military buildup near our Wester borders. It's an eastern front for NATO,” Dmitry Peskov said while speaking to reporters on a conference call.

He added that the Defense Ministry still needs time to put its proposals together.

“When such a plan of our western frontier's reinforcement will be worked out, the complete range of measures will be considered on special meeting with the president.”

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