Russia Says Finnish Entry to NATO Poses Threat to Which It Will Respond

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a joint news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow, on Feb. 18, 2022. Sergey Guneev/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters

LONDON—Russia said on Thursday that Finland’s bid to join NATO was a hostile move that “definitely” posed a threat to its security.

The Kremlin said it would respond but declined to spell out how, saying this would depend on how close NATO moves military assets towards the 1,300 kilometer (800-mile) Finnish-Russian frontier.