Now Russia threatens Finland and Sweden with ‘military consequences’ over Nato
 

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It said the countries will face ‘serious military and political repercussions’ if it became a member of the defensive alliance.

After weeks of denying plans to invade Ukraine while amassing as many as 190,000 troops on its border, Russia demanded legal guarantees that the nation is never allowed to join NATO.

It argued the alliance has expanded too far eastwards and poses a threat to national security, but Ukraine was not immediately close to joining.

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While Russia has blamed the pact for current tensions, others have pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s longstanding obsession with returning Ukraine to Moscow’s fold.

Still the Kremlin is keen for NATO not to expand further, as Russia appeared to turn its attention to Sweden and Finland.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the two nations ‘should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries’.

People evacuate a wounded person after an attack on a residential building during Russia's military intervention in Kyiv, Ukraine

She added: ‘Their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face some military and political consequences.’

Later reiterating the threat on Twitter, Russia’s foreign ministry said: ‘We regard the Finnish government’s commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe,’

The department added: ‘Finland’s accession to @nato would have serious military and political repercussions.’

It comes after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Vladimir Putin may push further into Eastern Europe if he manages to take over Ukraine.

It came as satellite images showed Russian troops and artillery building up along Belarus’ border with Poland.

Blinken said ‘you don’t need intelligence’ to see that Putin has ambitious beyond Ukraine, adding that ‘he’s made it clear that he’d like to reconstitute the Soviet empire’.