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Putin: New NATO member Finland didn't have problems before, but now it will

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Putin: New NATO member Finland didn't have problems before, but now it will
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a press conference, on Dec. 14, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Finland is "now going to have problems" because it joined NATO, on the same morning that he claimed not to be interested in fighting any NATO members.

In an interview with state-run television, Putin promised that Russia will create a "Leningrad military district" on the border with Finland and concentrate forces there.

"Why do they need this?" he said.  

Putin nevertheless claimed that he had no territorial disputes with NATO countries. Earlier, he responded to U.S. President Joe Biden's statement that Russia will not stop with Ukraine by calling it "nonsense."

Biden's remarks are backed by the history of Putin's Russia, which has sponsored many proxy movements in neighboring states, trying to create breakaway regions and deploying Russian troops there to "protect" the inhabitants.

Russia is currently occupying parts of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

Putin: Russia has no reason or interest to fight with NATO directly
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 17 denied that he has designs to attack any NATO country, reacting to the speech of U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this month. Putin has made multiple threats in the past to neighboring states. Russia is currently occupying parts of Ukraine, Georgia and Mol…
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Igor Kossov

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Igor is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously covered conflict in the Middle East, investigated corruption in Ukraine and man-made environmental damage in Southeast Asia. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and was published in the Kyiv Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, Daily Beast and Foreign Policy.

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