The Russian ambassador in Stockholm, Viktor Tatarintsev, was summoned to the Swedish Foreign Ministry on March 29 to clarify his article “A Swedish step into the abyss”, published on the embassy’s website and devoted the country’s decision to join NATO. On this subject writing Dagens PS, citing a statement by Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.
“The Foreign Ministry will summon the Russian Ambassador to speak out clearly against this apparent attempt at influence,” the statement said.
IN article Russian Ambassador, in particular, it is written that if Sweden joins the North Atlantic Alliance, it will become a “legitimate target” for Russian strikes. Tatarintsev also claims that the Swedish authorities are “plunging their people into the abyss of NATO” and turning the country into a “vassal state of the United States”.
Billström stresses in his statement that “only Sweden and no one else determines its security policy”.
Dagens PS cites a report by Swedish news agency TT, which gathered comments from Karolina Vendil Pallin, head of research at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI). She hinted that the Russian Embassy in Stockholm may have “received an order from a higher authority” to prepare such an article.
In his article, the Russian ambassador recalls that after joining NATO, Sweden will have to finance foreign interests in the world and send its soldiers to serve these interests.
“Sponsoring the Kiev regime and supporting anti-Russian sanctions has already cost the Swedes a pretty penny: unprecedented inflation, rising prices, depreciation of the national currency,” Tatarintsev said.
In addition, the diplomat noted that the entry of Finland and Sweden into the North Atlantic Alliance would practically double the length of Russia’s borders with NATO countries.
“If anyone still thinks this will somehow improve Europe’s security, rest assured that new members of the hostile bloc will become a legitimate target for retaliatory measures from Russia, including of a military nature,” wrote the Russian ambassador to Sweden. .
In February, the head of Sweden’s military intelligence and security service (MUST), Major General Lena Hallin, said Russia posed a “clear military threat” in the vicinity of Sweden, although its forces were now largely involved in the fighting in Ukraine. .
In his national security report, Hallin suggested building on Russia’s reluctance to allow “current tensions to escalate into armed conflict with NATO,” but stressed that “there is considerable uncertainty, mainly linked to the willingness of Russian leaders to take high risks”. .”
In September 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued that Moscow was aware of Finland’s and Sweden’s plans to join NATO. According to him, the reaction of the Russian side to this will depend on the degree of activity of the participation of these two countries in the deployment of weapons and troops of the Alliance on their territories.
” Whether military bases are deployed , then, depending on how all this materializes, of course, we will take the decision to strengthen our capabilities in the north-west of the Russian Federation, ”said the head of Russian diplomacy. warned.
He also said that the line of contact with NATO will increase dramatically anyway.
