Putin threatens Finland if it joins NATO, says Russian troops will move closer to its border

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin gestures during his joint press conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at Kultaranta summer residence in Naantali, Finland July 1, 2016. Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari/via REUTERS
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gestures during his joint press conference with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto at Kultaranta summer residence in Naantali, Finland July 1, 2016. Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari/via REUTERS

President Vladimir Putin suggested on Friday Russia could move its troops closer to the Finnish-Russian border if Finland joins NATO and called for measures to improve conflict prevention over the Baltic.

Finnish armed forces “would become part of NATO’s military infrastructure, which overnight would be at the borders of the Russian Federation”, Putin said after meeting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

“Do you think we will keep it as it is: our troops at 1,500 (kilometers, 900 miles) away?”

Putin’s first visit to Finland since the Ukraine crisis erupted in 2014 comes amid increased Russian and NATO activity in the Baltic region, and with the militarily neutral Finland and neighboring Sweden increasing their co-operation with NATO. It also comes a week before a NATO summit in Warsaw.

“NATO perhaps would gladly fight with Russia until the last Finnish soldier,” Putin said.

“Do you guys need it? We don’t. We don’t want it. But it is your call.”

Airspace over the Baltic has been the arena for a rash of close encounters between Russian and Western aircraft in recent months, and the former Soviet Baltic states have called on NATO to step up air defenses in the region.

Putin and Niinisto called for measures to improve security, with the Finnish president urging that no military planes should fly over the Baltic with identification devices switched off.

“We all know the risk with these flights and I have suggested that we should agree that transponders are used on all flights in the Baltic Sea region,” Niinisto said.

Putin said Russian planes flew at times with identifying transponders off, but NATO planes did it much more often.

He said Russia would talk to NATO about increasing mutual trust and improving conflict prevention at the Russia-NATO council meeting that will take place after the NATO summit.

REUTERS

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7 responses to “Putin threatens Finland if it joins NATO, says Russian troops will move closer to its border”

  1. We keep trying to get russian countrys to join us and leave russia . and wonder why Russia does not trust us and get madder and madder at us !

    1. PatienceTew Avatar
      PatienceTew

      Do you consider Finland to be a Russian country? (Look back at the ‘Winter War’.)

    2. MekensehParty Avatar
      MekensehParty

      Open a map please bob
      Finland was never a Russian country
      If independent and democratic countries choose to join NATO and meet the requirements it is the Russians who should simply accept it.
      Delivering threats left and right simply make such independent countries wanting to join an alliance that respects and defends their independence.

  2. wargame1 Avatar
    wargame1

    Russia is asking for trouble. Similar threat were given to other Scandinavian country. Let Finland decide their own affair.

  3. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    More threats… (= more panicking)

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