Russia criticizes Finland's military agreement with United States

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday promised that Russia would respond to what she called the “buildup of NATO military potential” in the vicinity of the Russia-Finland border. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia would bolster the size of its military in response.

What exactly was the U.S. agreement with Finland? Finland agreed to grant the United States access to 15 military facilities. Earlier this year, Finland joined NATO after years of neutrality between Russia and the military alliance. With the addition of Finland, NATO now consists of 31 countries.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Whitten’s report in WORLD Magazine about a Ukraine war reporter’s new book.