Vladimir Putin warns West, vows 'consequences' for those who meddle in Ukraine

Days after two European nations expressed willingness to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in the wake of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned the Western nations of "consequences" if they contributed to worsening the situation in Ukraine. Threatening to create a "wave of migrants" in Europe, Putin stated that his "noble" war on its ex-Soviet neighbour is aimed at "triumph". The Russian President also claimed that Moscow withstood the blow of the economic and financial sanctions "blitz".

Putin was addressing dozens of pro-Russians at the Vostochny Space launch facility in Russia's Far East when he warned the Western nations to "come back to reason and make well-balanced decisions without losing its face." He added, "common sense must prevail." The Russian President further rebuffed claims of the invasion faltering, and argued that his war "noble" effort was treading as planned. The Western penalties on high-tech exports will only prompt Russia to accelerate the production of new technologies "opening a new window of opportunities," Daily Mail UK reported.

Putin parroted his spokesperson's stance and widely called the images and footage of corpses strewn across Bucha town in Ukraine "fake." He also accused Kyiv of deviating from the agreements made at the peace talks in Istanbul, terming it as a "dead end." The remarks came shortly after a video emerged purporting to show Russian troops' movement, including heavy missiles, toward the Finland border. The redeployment followed the Kremlin's warning to its northern neighbour against joining NATO.

Russia deploying military equipment towards Finland: Report

In a seemingly fresh warning to the Western nations of Finland and Sweden against joining the international military bloc, Russia reportedly has begun moving military equipment towards the Finnish border. A video that emerged on Tuesday showed that the Kremlin has ordered the repositioning of large missile systems towards Finland's capital Helinski, which is on a peninsula in the Gulf of the country. The unconfirmed video uploaded on Monday night showed two Russia-made coastal defence missile systems, seen driving past a sign indicating the road to Helinski. The missiles in question are believed to be K-300P Bastion-P, as per Daily Mail UK. 

The developments come after two historically neutral Nordic countries Finland and Sweden earlier this week warmed up to the idea of joining the intergovernmental military alliance. Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Sunday stated that she expects the Parliament will decide by "mid-summer" on whether to apply for membership in NATO, a move that has infuriated the Kremlin. Sweden on the other hand informed that it is currently analysing its security policy which must be completed by May. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, NATO announced two multinational maritime operations with 16 ships, led by the Royal Navy of Netherlands to be patrolling the Baltic Sea coasts in order to "maintain credible defence capability."

(Image: AP)