Moscow warns Finland will suffer if Russia-NATO tensions escalate
(Baonghean.vn) - Senior Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov argued that Finland's geographical location would make it the first to suffer damage in case tensions between Russia and NATO escalate, Helsinki has weakened its own security by joining the US-led military bloc.
The Nordic country applied to join NATO after the conflict in Ukraine erupted last year, saying it needed mutual defense to deter a possible attack from Russia. The move broke with more than 70 years of neutrality that Finland had maintained throughout the Cold War.
Mr. Ulyanov - Russia's permanent representative to national organizations in Vienna, told RIA Novosti that he does not see Finland benefiting from NATO membership.
“They lived peacefully and suddenly found themselves between Russia and NATO as members of this alliance, but since they are our neighbors, if the situation escalates, they will be the first to suffer,” Mr. Ulyanov was concerned, emphasizing that Russia never wanted such an outcome.
Finland joined NATO in April and went further this month, signing a bilateral security agreement with the United States that gives the US military access to military bases on Finnish territory.
Mr. Ulyanov called this a “serious challenge” for Russia. He noted that Moscow’s response to the growing threat on its western borders included the restoration of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, which were abolished in 2010, during a period of relatively low tensions with the West.
The Russian diplomat referred to the current poor state of Russia-US relations, which he blamed on Washington. “I believe that it is becoming increasingly clear that the current US policy, which is based on the oblivion of diplomacy on the one hand and on the massive supply of weapons (to Ukraine) on the other, is ineffective,” he argued.
Mr Ulyanov added that so far, the US has been the “main beneficiary” of the Ukraine conflict, while EU countries, such as Germany, have suffered greatly from it. He said that Brussels’ policy is determined by Washington and the situation is unlikely to change soon.