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Nuclear weapons deployment in Baltic on hold before Defense Ministry’s plan — Kremlin

This statement came in response to a question about a possible deployment of the Russian nuclear weapons in the Baltic area in case Sweden and Finland join NATO

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised to wait until the Russian Defense Ministry comes up with a plan regarding the enhancement of the country’s western borders before speaking about a possible deployment of nuclear weapons in the Baltic area.

His statement came in response to a question about a possible deployment of the Russian nuclear weapons in the Baltic area in case Sweden and Finland join NATO.

"I can say nothing in this regard, because only after a plan of our enhancement of the western borders is drafted. It will contain a number of measures and all necessary steps to be taken," Peskov told journalists.

"It will be considered at a separate presidential session, just like [President] Putin said himself previously," Peskov added.

He reminded that the president issued earlier a special decree for the Defense Ministry regarding the enhancement of national troops’ presence near the country’s western frontiers and the Defense Ministry needed some time to come up with a detailed plan.

"It will take some time, this is serious work to be done," Peskov added.

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev announced earlier on Thursday that Russia would beef up security along its Western borders if Sweden and Finland join NATO and there would be no more talk of a nuclear-free Baltic.

In his statement posted on Telegram channel, Medvedev explained that it would be necessary to beef up the group of ground troops and the air defense system and deploy substantial naval forces in the Gulf of Finland. "If this is the case, there can no longer be talk about the Baltic’s non-nuclear status - the balance must be restored," he stated.

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics, he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."

The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.

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