'Moscow will not simply put up with Sweden, Finland joining Nato'
No one should have any illusions that Russia will simply put up with the decisions of Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday, reported Sputnik.
"They (Nato member states) should not have any illusions that we will simply put up with this... That means that the general level of military tension will increase, and there will be less predictability in this area," Ryabkov told reporters.
"It is a pity that common sense is sacrificed to some phantom ideas about what should be done in this situation," he added.
Moscow's reaction to the Nordic countries' accession to the alliance will depend on concrete steps by Helsinki and Stockholm, the diplomat added.
"This is another serious mistake with far-reaching consequences... This is the level of those who make political decisions today in the respective countries," he said.
According to media reports, the parliaments of Finland and Sweden on Monday will discuss government reports related to the process of approving those countries' applications to Nato.
- Reuters
