Finland, Sweden brush off Moscow's warning on joining NATO

warnings from neighboring Russia that their possible joining of NATO would trigger “serious military-political consequences” from Moscow for the two countries

This clearly shows how insane Putin and his supporters are!

Willing to attack each peacefull country and killing innocent people.

This massmurderer Putin and his supporters must be elimintated, before they draw the world into the biggest tragedy we have ever seen.

Stay strong Finland, Sweden and all other nations that want to maintain their culture and their nation's physical environment, Putin seems to be trying to become global emperor and will do whatever he can to make himself and his oligarchs wealthier and more powerful. He wants to control the Arctic and Antarctica and all points in between. Stop the spread of Putin-istan, sometimes called Eurasian Economic Union, recall what cults of personality did to the world in the 1930s and 1940's. The same applies to Norway, Denmark and the Baltic nations. Turkey, knows what Russia has long wanted.

Zakharova argued that while every state has a sovereign right to choose ways of ensuring its security,

period.

And Russia has given them ample reason and incentive to join NATO or risk the same fate as Ukraine

Welcome Finland and Sweden.

So now Putin is saying to Sweden, which is far from a threat to Russia not to join NATO. Sort of denies the "felt threatened" by Ukraine if the join NATO argument. Putin just hates NATO.

And he's using threats of invasion? We really have to question his mental state at this time.

This massmurderer Putin and his supporters must be elimintated

there’s quite a few of his supporters here

instead of dissuading countries from joining NATO, Putin’s tactics have had the exact opposite effect - doh !

tooheysnew

instead of dissuading countries from joining NATO, Putin’s tactics have had the exact opposite effect - doh !

I know. The irony.

Over the years every now and then, the reason for the existence of NATO is called into question. Now that the cold war with USSR is over, why do we need it?

And the conclusion they inevitably come up with is to counter Putin. Not Russia, but Putin. The alliance he hates the most stays around because of him.

Putin ensured every country within reach of Russia will want now to join NATO. Well done Vlad!

Hopefully Finland and Sweden can join NATO if they wish to.

Finland and Sweden don’t have to join NATO as they are EU members (equally as good). If Russia were to attack an EU member state, we have a massive European war that could lead into World War 3. The is why Sweden and Finland basically responded with a “meh”

All because of Putin’s barbarity.

What a huge miscalculation on Putin's part - but this is what happens to dictators and tyrants who surround themselves with sycophants and yes-men - who refuse to tell the King he has no clothes...

Putin has assured that every country in Russia's near vicinity will be applying for NATO membership...which is the exact opposite of his goal of breaking NATO apart...

His appearances since the invasion show him looking disheveled and unstable...while Zelinsky looks heroic standing tall in Kyiv...

Putin was never going to be remembered well in history, but now he has cemented his reputation as a mass murderer along side Hitler, Stalin and Ivan the Terrible...

Russia seems to be doing all it can to make European nations want to join NATO!

Russia is the only major power in Europe threatening other countries!

NATO is a defense agreement. Its protections are extremely effective and as Putin has shown us with the criminal invasion of Ukraine, it is NATO that is largely responsible for the long peace the world has enjoyed following WWII and the decline in wars between major nations.

Stay strong Finland, Sweden and all other nations that want to maintain their culture and their nation's physical environment, Putin seems to be trying to become global emperor and will do whatever he can to make himself and his oligarchs wealthier and more powerful. He wants to control the Arctic and Antarctica and all points in between.

This is very true. All the more reason why any first world nation that depends heavily on fossil fuels and nuclear energy will always have the strongest power and influence and without it you have nothing.

Stop the spread of Putin-istan, sometimes called Eurasian Economic Union, recall what cults of personality did to the world in the 1930s and 1940's. The same applies to Norway, Denmark and the Baltic nations. Turkey, knows what Russia has long wanted.

Any country that depends on another for its natural resources and survival will always be at under that countries thumb particularly if it’s a hostile nation. No country should ever be in that position.

we can’t fail to see consistent efforts by NATO and some of its members, primarily the U.S., to drag Finland as well as Sweden into the alliance.”

NATO doesn’t need to drag anyone so long as Russia, by invading its neighbors, is pushing them.

NATO only exists if they have an enemy. What is it, 2% of each members GDP? It should change its name to NWO.

NATO only exists if they have an enemy

yep, & thanks to your mate Putin, it has it

Putin threat to these two countries are for optics only. Unfortunately, this war is a dictator's version of a midlife crisis. He knows his time is winding down. He wants to appear strong in the face of a growing surge of people against him in his own country. He would not attack these two countries because they are EU members. Thus, both countries know that they would not need to join NATO in a hurry because they would get the protection anyway. Putin realizes that too and hopes the "casuals" do not. To them, Putin would seem like a real "badass."

Finland and Sweden don't have to join NATO because their already in the loop.

The old saying about honey and vinegar comes to mind.

Mad Vlad, spewing vinegar and wondering why he attracts no flies.

Putin ignores at his peril that Finland and Sweden are in the Nordic Battle Group, which includes Ireland.

We have Guinness and Riverdance, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Who needs NATO?

The Fins have managed their Russian border through 100+ yrs of treaty even before Finland separated from Sweden in 1917. It really hasn't moved since 1743. I don't see them joining NATO, but I do see them aligning in every other way, since they are part of the EU. They have some, what seem odd, rules on the border to keep the peace. For example, no anti-Russian signs are allowed there and even yelling anti-Russian slogans along the Fin-Rus border will get you arrested. There is a formal border area on both sides which requires permits to enter and at least 1 visa is required to actually cross.

As for Sweden, I haven't a clue. They are smart people. Saab (formerly SAAB) does make some of the cheapest, anti-tank weapons AND those are being provided to Ukraine, somehow at the request of the Ukraine President.

Russia would have been smarter to not speak on these subjects. The more they speak, the more they push nations NOT tied to RUS at the hip already to run away in a different direction. Belarus was supposed to leave the Russian family after the last election, but fraud and typical Putin election fraud along with a dictator unwilling to leave office after losing prevented the peaceful handover of power. Now Belarus is being abused as a staging area for northern invasion of Ukraine.