Russia warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato, stating that enlarging Nato would not bring more stability to Europe. The spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov said that Nato is geared towards confrontation. US defense officials believe that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a strategic blunder that will likely cause more countries to join Nato. 

The US expects the Nordic countries of Finland and Sweden to bid for membership of Nato, possibly as early as June. The alliance would grow to 32 members should these countries join and the US officials are believed to support the move. The war led to the deployment of more Nato troops on its eastern side and an increase in public support for the membership of Sweden and Finland. Moscow continues to warn against the growing of the bloc, threatening to rebalance the situation or impose military and political consequences on the bloc should the countries join. Despite the warnings, both Finland and Sweden have pushed ahead with their discussions and increased defense spending. 

Read more: Ukraine War: Russia warns Sweden and Finland against Nato membership