NATO logo in front of the headquarters in Brussels. Archival photoMOSCOW, May 5.The possible accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO could be regarded as a provocation, the Financial Times writes, citing a European diplomat, without specifying for whom exactly the countries' membership in the alliance will be considered as such «Joining NATO will be a huge provocation,» the newspaper quoted the diplomat as saying. Sweden started talking about the possibility of 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 NATO 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.
