The Swedish authorities announced today that they will summon the Russian Ambassador following his statements in which he threatened Sweden by saying that it would become a "legitimate target" once it joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in a statement that the Foreign Ministry will summon the Russian Ambassador to clearly denounce his remarks, which are totally unacceptable and prejudicial to Sweden's sovereignty.

The Russian Ambassador in Stockholm Viktor Tatarintsev reaffirmed in a text published on the website of his country's mission in Sweden, that after Finland and Sweden join NATO, the total length of the borders between Russia and NATO will increase by almost double, warning that if some parties still think that this will somehow improve the security of Europe, let them be sure that the hostile bloc's new members will become a legitimate target for Russian reprisals, including those of a military nature.

Sweden and Finland signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Turkiye last June regarding their accession to NATO, after they pledged to respond to Ankara's demands regarding cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

All NATO members must approve accession requests, whilst Finland's request is still subject to the approval of Turkiye and Hungary.

Source: Qatar News Agency