Russian President Vladimir Putin has lashed out at his American counterpart Joe Biden, who warned of a possible future confrontation between Russia and NATO. “That is complete nonsense and I think President Biden himself understands that,” Putin said in an interview with Russian state television.
APB
Latest update:
13:26
Source:
ANP
Earlier this month, Biden called on the US parliament, Congress, to release more money for aid to Ukraine. He said Republican politicians who block that are giving Putin “the best gift he could hope for.” The US is supplying large-scale ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine, which was invaded by a Russian invasion force last year.
The US president said Putin “will not stop” if he wins in Ukraine and asked lawmakers to think about the long term. In the event of a possible future Russian attack on a NATO country, the US must intervene, Biden warned, according to a White House statement. “And then we have a situation that we do not want and that we are not in yet: American troops fighting Russian troops.”
Problems due to Finland’s accession
Putin, in turn, emphasized that his country has no “economic, political or military” interest in a military conflict with NATO countries. They have agreed that they will defend each other in the event of an attack. The Russian president accused Biden of attempting to justify his “wrong policy” regarding Russia. However, he warned that new problems could arise now that neighboring country Finland has become a member of the military alliance.
Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia and has maintained a neutral position for a long time. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country decided to become a member of NATO, much to Putin’s chagrin. “Did we have a disagreement with them? All disputes, including the territorial conflicts of the mid-20th century, had been resolved for a long time,” he said. “There were no problems, but there are now.”
Putin explained that in response to Finland’s NATO accession, a new military district will be created in the northwest of his country. “We are going to concentrate a number of military units there.”
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