Russia Warns of Nuclear Deployment Near Finland, Sweden Over Possible NATO Membership

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and deputy security council chief Dmitry Medvedev meet with members of the government in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 15, 2020. Dimitry Astakhov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on April 14 warned that the Baltic Sea region could no longer remain “nuclear-free” if Finland and Sweden join NATO.

Medvedev, one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies who now serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, made the nuclear threat one day after Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Helsinki is edging closer toward possibly joining NATO and will come to a conclusion “within weeks.”