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NATO bases, not Finland’s entry to bloc, threat to Russia, says ambassador

It is noted that there is concern that NATO may station its permanent military bases or heavy offensive weapons and missile defense systems in Finland

MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Finland’s official accession to NATO is no direct threat to Russia, however, there is concern about the deployment of the alliance’s infrastructure and heavy weapons there, Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov told the Rossiya-24 television on Monday.

"Finland’s formal accession to NATO poses no serious threat to Russia’s security. However, there is concern that NATO may station its permanent military bases or heavy offensive weapons and missile defense systems in Finland. Russia will then have to take appropriate measures in response in order to ensure its security," he warned.

The Russian diplomat said he expected Finland’s political and military leadership "to understand only too well that developments like these would not be in Finland’s best interests." However, he questioned if the Finns would be allowed to make independent decisions on their own security as a nation upon entry to NATO.