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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Russia: Finland’s NATO Accession Carries Risk of Escalation

A handout photo made available by the Russian Defense ministry press service shows Russian Defense Minister, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu (C) delivers his speech during a meeting in the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation in Moscow, Russia, 22 March 2023. (EPA / Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / Handout)

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures" to Finland's accession to the NATO military alliance, as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the expansion of NATO - long criticized in Moscow - was an "encroachment on our security and on Russia's national interests" and that Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland.

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