On Wednesday, Russia said it would respond to Finland’s move to allow the US access to military bases inside the Nordic nation, which joined NATO last year and shares an over 800-mile border with Russia.
Under a new Defense Cooperation Agreement that was ratified by Finland’s parliament on Monday, the US can access 15 bases in Finland, including a border guard base only 20 miles from the Russian border.
“I can only confirm that Russia will not leave unanswered the NATO military buildup on our border, which threatens the security of the Russian Federation,” said Andrei Nastasin, a deputy spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“We will also take the necessary measures, including of a military-technical nature, to counter aggressive decisions by Finland, as well as its NATO allies,” Nastasin added.
After Finland first applied to join NATO in 2022, Russia vowed to increase its military presence in western Russia and near the Finnish border in response to any buildup of NATO military infrastructure in the Nordic nation.
Sweden also officially joined NATO this year, making all Nordic nations members of the US-led military alliance. The US also signed a DCA with Stockholm that gives it access to 17 bases inside Sweden.
