Russian ambassador to Stockholm said that joining NATO would make Sweden and Finland a "legitimate target" for Russia: reactions

The Russian aggressor country has started openly threatening Sweden, which intends to become a NATO member. The Russian Ambassador to Stockholm, Viktor Tatarintsev, published an article where he stated that by joining the bloc, Sweden would become a "legitimate target for Russia."

According to him, this means "retaliatory measures, including military ones." The article titled "Swedish Step into the Abyss" was published on the website of the Russian Embassy.

"If it still seems to anyone that this will somehow improve Europe's security, rest assured that the new members of the hostile bloc will become a legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures, including those of a military nature," Tatarintsev said.

Following these statements, the Russian ambassador was urgently summoned to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Reuters reported.

"The foreign ministry is summoning the Russian ambassador to protest this obvious attempt at interference," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom

Recall that Sweden's parliament voted to join NATO on March 22. After all NATO countries ratify the application, the government will officially receive the green light for Sweden to join the defense alliance. At the same time, Hungary has not yet approved Sweden's accession to NATO. The office of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán finally voiced its "claims" to Sweden.

As OBOZREVATEL reported, NATO is going to send up to 300,000 soldiers to the border with Russia in the coming months. The move is aimed at preventing Russia from expanding its war beyond Ukraine.

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