Russia slams West, NATO; warns of 'problems' with Finland

Following Finland’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning about “problems” with the country, CNN reported. In an interview on Sunday, Putin said, “Finland was seized by the West and forced to join NATO! Why were there disagreements between us and Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th century, have all been resolved long ago.” With Finland joining NATO, the security environment in northern Europe underwent a notable change, with the alliance’s border with Russia expanding by more than 1,300 kilometres (830 miles). It was also a setback for President Putin, who has long opposed NATO expansion. Additionally, Putin labelled US President Joe Biden’s comments earlier this month—which implied that Russia might eventually attack a NATO ally and involve US forces in combat as “complete nonsense”. Biden had warned Putin that he would “keep going” if he gained control of Ukraine. According to Putin, Moscow “has no reason, no interest, no geopolitical interest, neither economic, political, nor military, to fight with NATO countries,” and it also has no territorial rights in said alliance. (With agency inputs)