Russia may perhaps deliver into query the position of the Åland Islands, an autonomous location of Finland that has extensive been demilitarized, and the Saimaa Canal, which runs partly through land leased from Russia, as the Nordic nation makes an attempt to sign up for NATO, according to reports.

Russia has voiced concern around the prospect of Finland and Sweden becoming a member of NATO immediately after they had been prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said Finland’s membership in NATO would increase two specific territorial problems, in accordance to a RU Information 24 report.

“As for Finland, I right away have a dilemma on two areas,” the Russian information agency RIA Novosti quoted Chizhov as stating, according to RU News 24. He cited the self-governing Åland Islands, which lie in the Baltic Sea in between Sweden and Finland, and the canal, which operates for 27 miles to the metropolis of Vyborg inside Russia.

“That is, it leaves central Finland approximately to Vyborg. What will happen to this now? We are going to have to see,” Chizhov was reported to have claimed.

Very last 7 days, Russian Deputy Overseas Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated that Russia would not settle for Finland or Sweden signing up for NATO.

He designed the comments to reporters on Monday, relayed as a result of condition-owned news company TASS. He was discussing the information of Sweden’s ruling occasion approving the country’s bid to sign up for NATO on Sunday, as well as Finnish politicians contacting for their region to join the alliance “without delay.”

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the similar working day, performed down Russia’s opposition to NATO growth.

“As for the expansion [of NATO], such as by new users of the alliance—Finland, Sweden—Russia would like to notify you that it has no complications with these states,” Putin explained while speaking at a gathering in Moscow of leaders from the member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Firm (CSTO), the Russia-backed navy alliance.

“As a result, in this perception, expansion on account of these international locations does not pose a immediate threat to Russia,” he reported.

Finland and Sweden have traditionally been non-aligned militarily. Sweden has not fought a war in additional than 200 years, although Finland signed an agreement with the Soviet Union in 1948 that bundled Helsinki isolating itself militarily from Western Europe. Finland shares an 807-mile border with Russia and gained independence from the country in 1917.

Finland has been growing its armed service funds amid fears that Russia will retaliate right after its Nordic neighbor declared its wish to utilize to be part of NATO.

Finland’s bid to be part of the 30-strong armed service alliance will come amid rising protection considerations across Europe adhering to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Friday, Finland’s defense ministry said that the government’s next price range for 2022 will allocate close to €669.4 million ($706.7 million) in additional funding to the Finnish armed forces, of which €176 million will be allotted to functioning expenses and €490 million to rapid-get started protection tools procurement.

The federal government also declared it intends to invest somewhere around €1.7 billion for the “extended-expression procurement” of armed forces supplies among 2022-2027. It will fund the acquisition of anti-tank and anti-plane weapons, fighter machines, artillery ammunition, discipline maintenance substance and missiles for naval and air protection, the ministry said.

Newsweek has contacted Russia’s International Affairs business office for remark.

Finland and the Swedish-speaking Åland Islands were being section of Sweden right before it was pressured to relinquish the two territories to the Russian Empire in 1809, according to Finland’s overseas ministry.

The demilitarization was agreed as portion of the conditions of peace negotiations in Paris in 1856 after the Crimean War, which Russia had lost to an alliance like France, Britain and the Ottoman Empire.

Update 5/24/22, 8:43 a.m. EDT: This article has been updated to deliver much more track record aspects.

Update 5/24/22, 11:38 a.m. EDT: This post has been up to date to offer additional background specifics.

Corrected 5/24/22, 12 p.m. EDT: Corrects from Russia to Sweden in second paragraph.