MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Moscow will take measures in response to the expansion of NATO’s military infrastructure to the territory of Finland and Sweden, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"The expansion of military infrastructure to that territory [Finland and Sweden] will undoubtedly trigger our counter-reaction," the Russian leader said at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Kremlin.
"This reaction will depend on the nature of the threats that will emerge for us," the head of state said.
"Generally speaking, this problem is being created from scratch," Putin stressed. "We will respond to this accordingly," he said.
"Aside from this endless expansionist policy, the North Atlantic alliance also goes beyond the framework of its geographical designation, beyond the scope of the Euro-Atlantic region and seeks to get involved in international issues ever more actively and control the international situation from the standpoint of security, and influence them in other regions of the world and by far not in the best way," the Russian leader stressed.
"This will undoubtedly require our additional attention," Putin maintained.
NATO’s expansion to Finland and Sweden does not pose a direct threat to Moscow since Russia has no problems with those countries, the Russian leader pointed out.
"As for the expansion [by NATO], in particular, through the admission of new members, Finland and Sweden, Russia has no problems with those states," Putin said.
"That is why, the [alliance’s] expansion through those countries does not create an immediate danger to Russia," the head of state specified.