TASS reported on August 11 that Russia will take necessary measures to ensure its security in response to the increasing presence of NATO in Finland, a source at the Russian Embassy in Helsinki said.
These steps can hardly be seen as anything other than a clear confirmation of the North Atlantic Alliance's commitment to further strengthening positions on Finnish territory," the source said in an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia.
The diplomat from the Russian Embassy pointed out that the alliance's increased military presence in Finland is clearly aimed at confrontation with Russia, playing a role as a destabilizing factor and contributing to the depletion of the situation in Northern Europe.
Russia has repeatedly noted the harmful consequences of such policies and warned that it will be forced to take necessary retaliatory measures to ensure its own security," the official said.
We are confident that Helsinki is aware of such signals. However, so far, the Finnish leadership has not shown willingness for a constructive dialogue. However, after Finland joined NATO, we must consider that many decisions on this issue are not only made in Helsinki," the diplomat added.
