Sweden Confronts Russia Over NATO Membership Threats and Retaliation Remarks

Sweden's Foreign Ministry is summoning the Russian ambassador to Stockholm over his comments on the country's NATO bid, deeming them an "attempt at interference." The ambassador had warned that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, the alliance's borders with Russia would almost double, making new NATO members "a legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures, including those of a military nature." Sweden and Finland abandoned their military neutrality last year and sought NATO membership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.