Russian Foreign Ministry: "NATO creates additional threats to Russia's security in the Arctic"

As the North Atlantic Alliance expands, it creates additional threats to Russia's security in the Arctic, military and political tensions in the region are growing. This was stated by Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department for European Affairs of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"In the current geopolitical conditions, at the instigation of Western countries, negative trends in the Arctic are unfortunately growing. The entry of Finland and Sweden into the North Atlantic Alliance and, thus, the increase in NATO's presence in the region has led to an increase in military and political tensions," the diplomat said.

According to him, NATO's actions in the region "create additional challenges and threats to Russia's security and its national interests. It is known that illegitimate sanctions are being applied, which are designed to hinder the development of Russia's Arctic zone and, in general, international cooperation in the entire North," the diplomat noted.

"The North Atlantic Alliance also intends to intensify military training activities near Russia's northern borders in the near future," Maslennikov added.