Putin says Russia must strengthen forces in western part of country following Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession

Vladimir Putin said in his address to Russia’s Federal Assembly on Thursday that Russia needs to “significantly strengthen” its military presence in the Western part of the country in light of Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO.

At the same time, Putin said that speculation in the West that Russia is preparing to launch an attack on European countries is “nonsense.”

He also said that allegations from the U.S. that Moscow plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space are a “hoax” and a “ploy” meant to pressure Russia into entering into negotiations on terms favorable to the U.S.