MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Sweden and Finland joining NATO is their choice, but these Nordic nations must realize the consequences this will have on their ties with Russia, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said.

"The accession of Finland and Sweden, in fact, to the front line of the alliance and the rejection of [their] non-aligned status will be the choice of these countries. However, they should clearly understand the consequences such a step would have on their relations with Russia and on the general security architecture in Europe, which is already in deep crisis," Slutsky wrote on his Telegram channel Wednesday, commenting on Turkey dropping its veto of Finland and Sweden's entry to NATO.

The politician noted that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US-led military bloc has consistently sought to move closer to Russia's borders, and all the mantras about its "defensive nature" were simply a "smokescreen." "For Russia, NATO's eastward expansion began not with the alliance inviting Sweden and Finland to get onboard, but by breaking promises once made to the first president of the Soviet Union. Since then, we have already seen several waves of this kind, which time after time has triggered new concerns on ensuring the security and national interests of our country," he added.

"Yes, and if I were Turkey, I would not be too flattered about the assurances I received in exchange for not vetoing the Finns’ and Swedes’ accession to NATO. Gorbachev was also once promised something," Slutsky argued.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO. They were supposed to receive an invitation to join at the bloc’s Madrid summit, but Turkey's veto blocked the process. On June 28, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held negotiations in Madrid on the topic. As a result, Turkey rescinded its veto, and subsequently the three parties signed a memorandum paving the way for Sweden and Finland to join NATO. In exchange, a ban on the sale of weapons to Ankara was lifted, and the parties vowed to fight terrorism. Erdogan's office told TASS that Turkey considered the signed document as a result achieved by Sweden and Finland, which will allow them to join the alliance.