Russia will take measures against Sweden following its accession to NATO, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Sweden on Monday cleared the final hurdle to become the 32nd member of the U.S.-led military alliance after Hungary, the last holdout in accession talks, ratified the Nordic country's membership.
Stockholm dropped years of military non-alignment when it applied for NATO membership alongside Finland in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We’ll closely monitor what Sweden does in the aggressive military bloc, how it will implement its membership in practice,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a weekly press briefing.
She said Moscow’s “military and technical” retaliation would depend on the types of NATO weapons and units Sweden deploys, as well as the types of drills and strategies it adopts as a member of the military alliance.
“Based on that, we’ll develop our response policy, as well as military and technical steps, to stop the threats to Russia’s national security,” Zakharova added.
Her statement echoes Russia’s Embassy in Stockholm, which warned earlier Tuesday that Moscow’s response was contingent on the “conditions and scale of Sweden’s integration into NATO, including the possible deployment of NATO units, strike systems and weapons.”
Last year, Russia’s ambassador in Stockholm said that NATO’s new members would become “a legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
