Moscow will react to the statements of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on NATO accession by Finland according to the situation, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2022) Moscow will react to the statements of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on NATO accession by Finland according to the situation, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Niinisto and Marin said that Finland must apply for NATO membership "without delay."
"We will react according to the situation," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Finland's statement is "a radical change in the country's foreign policy."
Finland's accession to NATO will seriously affect relations between Moscow and Helsinki, as well as the maintenance of stability and security in the northern region of Europe.
"Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps of a military-technical or other nature in order to deter the threats to its national security that arise in this regard," the statement added.
Joining NATO will be a direct violation of Finland's international legal obligations, including the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty and the 1992 agreement between Russia and Finland on the foundations of relations, according to the statement.
"However, given the current indifference of the collective West to international law, such behavior has become the norm," the ministry added.
