A “barrage” of indirect or direct threats and warnings was launched by high-ranking Russian officials on Thursday, at a time when accession Finland and Sweden in NATO now seems inevitable.
The Russian president Vladimir Putin argued that Western sanctions imposed on Russia cause a global crisis, talking about “Russophobia”.
“Their authors, guided by short-sighted, inflated political ambitions, Russophobia, have to a greater extent affected their own national interests, their own economies, the well-being of their citizens. “We see this, first of all, in a sharp rise in inflation in Europe,” he told CNN during a meeting on economic issues.
According to the Russian president, the continuation of the Western “obsession with sanctions” will inevitably lead to “More difficult, intractable consequences” for the European Union as well as for the poorest countries in the world.
“The responsibility for this lies entirely with the elites of the West, who are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world to maintain their world domination,” he said.
Mr Putin said Russia was facing external challenges posed by Western sanctions and that inflation was slowing.
“The weekly rise in prices has already fallen to 0.1% – this is already close to the weekly growth rate corresponding to the Bank of Russia’s inflation target,” he said.
“Finland’s accession to NATO is a clear threat to Russia”
THE Finland’s decision to join NATO poses “clear threat” to Russia, Kremlin spokesman says today Dmitry Peshkov, adding that the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance will not make Europe or the world safer.
Speaking to reporters at a teleconference, Peshkov said Finland’s move to join NATO was sad and threatened in response analogous to the Helsinki movement.
The Finnish leadership announced a few hours ago that the country must apply for NATO membership “without delay”.
Asked if this posed a threat to Russia, Peshkov said: “Certainly. “NATO expansion does not make our continent more stable and secure.”
He added that Finland had taken “unfriendly steps” against Russia.
Russia poses new nuclear threat after Finland announces NATO membership
One of his closest allies President Vladimir Putin warns West today of growing US and allied military support for Ukraine there is a risk of a conflict between Russia and the NATO military alliance.
THE former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now vice-president of the country’s Security Council, said such a clash with NATO always carries the risk of turning into a nuclear war.
The new nuclear threats from Moscow come a few hours after Joint Statement by the President and Prime Minister of Finlandthat the country must ask as soon as possible to join NATO.
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