Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) is interviewed by Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group Director General Dmitry Kiselev (back to a camera) in Moscow, Russia, March 12, 2024. (KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

MOSCOW – Russia will deploy its troops and strike systems near Finland and Sweden's borders following their accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

During an interview with local media, Putin said the two countries' decision to join NATO was based on purely political considerations. “… they very much wanted to be members of the Western club, under some kind of umbrella," he added.

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"This is an absolutely senseless step from the point of view of ensuring their own national interests,” said the Russian leader

On Monday, Sweden officially became the 32nd NATO member, abandoning its long-standing non-aligned military policy. Finland joined the military alliance last year. These moves deprived the two countries of acting as buffer zones between the NATO alliance and Russia.

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In late February, Putin signed a decree approving the re-establishment of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts to strengthen Russia's northwestern military forces in response to NATO's northern expansion.