Russian Deputy FM: Further NATO expansion to be met with compensating response

Further eastward expansion of NATO will be met with a corresponding compensating response from Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters Tuesday.
"Every action is followed by a counteraction. Accordingly, the abrupt deterioration in security, which happened in the last few years, could no longer be perceived without concrete measures from our side, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"And further NATO expansion will receive a corresponding compensating response from Russia," he added.
In May, Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance, a few months after the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, but face objections from Turkey due to security concerns. This prompted the two countries to sign in late June a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Turkey regarding their NATO accession, as the two countries pledge to cooperate fully with Turkey in combating organisations that Ankara classifies as terrorist.
So far, 28 out of 30 NATO members have ratified Finland and Sweden's membership.