Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Russia was closely following Finland and Sweden's bids to join the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, and was convinced that their accession would in no way strengthen Europe's security architecture.
Earlier on Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying the West should not think Moscow would simply put up with the expansion of NATO, casting it as a mistake that would stoke military tension.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
