The head of the CIA said that the position of Russia should not deter the expansion of NATO

CIA Director William Burns. File photoWASHINGTON, May 7The US and its allies should take Russian claims against NATO expansion seriously, but they are not a deterrent to Finland and Sweden possibly joining the alliance, the CIA director said on Saturday William Burns.» We should take seriously the issues that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) raises, but none of this will be a deterrent in the event that Finland and Sweden move along the path to join NATO, and the alliance decides on its expansion,» Burns said during a discussion organized at the Financial Times. abandoning long-term neutrality and joining NATO against the backdrop of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The head of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, noted that the alliance would be glad to see Finland and Sweden in its ranks and provide them with the opportunity to quickly join. NATO expects these countries to make their own decisions about possible membership in the coming «months and weeks,» US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith said. She added that the United States would welcome the accession of these countries to the alliance. Russia has repeatedly noted that NATO is aimed at confrontation. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated that further expansion of the alliance would not bring greater security to Europe, NATO has an aggressive character. At the same time, he noted that he did not consider the possible entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO an existential threat to Russia. Ukraine risky