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| US President Joe Biden (REUTERS) |
International Military - It was previously reported at this time that Finland and Sweden had expressed their desire to join NATO. This desire certainly irritated Russia to the point of threatening both Sweden and Finland for the decision.
It is also known that several NATO members have also accepted the intention of these two countries to join. On the other hand, Turkish President Erdoan said that his party could not give positive comments regarding this matter. Moreover, this can also be seen from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine since February 2022 with Russia.
Reported by Al Jazeera, Russia has previously made threats to Sweden and Finland over their desire to join NATO. Russia is rumored to be creating a new military base in the western part of the country. This statement was also conveyed by the Minister of Defense of Russia, Sergei Shoigu in a speech.
He said this was an "adequate countermeasure" against Finland and Sweden joining NATO. “Tensions continue to grow in the Western Military District's zone of responsibility. We are taking adequate precautions," Shoigu said. He also added that by the end of the year, 12 military units and divisions would be formed in the Western Military District.
Regarding this, Shoigu said that this will also be accompanied by a surge in military equipment and weapons. However, it is known that related to this, it does not seem that Finland and Sweden are afraid to join. Moreover, the secretary general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, has confirmed this last Thursday.
He said they had received applications from both countries to join the bloc. He also said that all NATO member countries must also agree to this.
However, Turkish President Erdoan firmly opposes the wishes of Sweden and Finland. However, that same day, it was learned that the Swedish prime minister had a meeting with Biden.
In this regard, President Joe Biden said that they would pledge their “full support” to both countries.