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MOSCOW. –  Russia will take required security and defense measures if Sweden and Finland join NATO, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told TASS yesterday.

“It is clear that our border with Finland is 1,300 km long. This will mean a radical change in the military and political situation and it is understandable that we will be forced to take security and defence measures that we will deem necessary. This is the essence of military development,” the senior Russian diplomat said, responding to a question about the possibility of Russia deploying nuclear weapons in the Baltic region.

“In the current conditions, I am not ready to say whether this is real or not [the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO],” the high-ranking Russian diplomat said, .

“For decades, the neutral status of these states had ensured a very high level of their security and generally the security in that region that had been a region of peace and cooperation and, importantly, a very reliable platform for building good neighbourly relations with us,” Grushko said. – TASS