Russia Slams NATO’s Potential Expansion

Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said on Monday that the potential expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including the alleged admission of Finland and Sweden to the bloc, will not grant security to Europe.

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Peskov said that "the Alliance itself is more a confrontational tool. It is not an alliance that guarantees peace and stability. Further expansion of the Alliance will certainly not bring additional security to the European continent."

According to a report from The Times newspaper, Stockholm and Helsinki seek to integrate into the bloc this summer. The report exposed that the countries' authorities are working jointly in order to achieve a consensus within their governments on the issue of their membership. However, each nation will make the final decision independently.

Previously, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that during the meeting convened by NATO held on April 6th and 7th in Brussels, the most addressed matter was the possibility of Finland and Sweden's entry to the organization.

Iltalehti, the Finnish newspaper, confirmed the country's potential membership in the North Atlantic Organization in May. There is a report to be presented by the government on foreign and security policy after the next parliamentary session.

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that the membership process of Finland to integrate the bloc might take several months to a year.