Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his “deepest condolences” on the death of Mikhail Gorbachev to his family and friends, the Kremlin said shortly after midnight on Wednesday. The president will “send a telegram” to Gorbachev’s relatives in the morning, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti.

Proposed accession to the bloc will harm northern Europe, including would-be allies, Moscow said Sweden and Finland will lose part of their sovereignty while compromising their security if they join NATO, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Friday, referring to the two nations’ expected requests for formal membership in the US-led military bloc.

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