MOSCOW. Dec 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Finnish Ambassador Antti Helantera on Tuesday, the ministry said.
The Finnish ambassador was informed that "Russia will not leave unanswered the build-up of NATO's military capability near our border, which threatens Russia's security, and will take the necessary measures to counteract Finland's and its NATO allies' aggressive decisions," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a commentary.
"Responsibility for turning an area of good neighborliness in this region into an area of possible confrontation fully rests with the incumbent Finnish authorities," she said.
"A few days ago, the Finnish government approved an agreement on defense cooperation with the United States, which will take effect after its ratification in the country's parliament," she said.
"The agreement regulates quantitative parameters, the details of U.S. Armed Forces personnel's transportation and stationing, and the use of military bases and the storage of weapons on Finnish territory by them. What is notable is that the agreement's provisions do not set any restrictions for the types of weapons that will be used for its implementation, including nuclear arms, and in fact put the American military contingent that will be stationed in Finland beyond the Finnish legal framework," she said.