LVIV, Ukraine — Russia on Monday warned Finland and Sweden that plans to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were a "grave mistake," as Moscow's forces stepped up attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said the two Nordic nations, which over the weekend announced their intention to apply for NATO membership, were embarking on a misguided path "with far-reaching consequences," according to Russian news reports.
"The fact that the security of Sweden and Finland will not be strengthened as a result of this decision is very clear to us," the Interfax news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying. "They should have no illusions that we will simply put up with it."
