Talk of bigger NATO draws ire

ZURICH/MOSCOW－The Kremlin said on Monday that the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO military alliance would not bring stability to Europe.

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared toward confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call when asked about the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

Earlier on Monday, The Times reported that Finland and Sweden look poised to join NATO as early as the summer, citing officials.

A senior US State Department official said last week that the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO was part of the discussion among foreign ministers from the military alliance in Brussels.

On the diplomatic front, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks face-to-face with the first leader of a European Union country to visit Moscow since the special military operation got underway in Ukraine in late February.

Close attention was being paid to the talks on Monday between Putin and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

"I'm going to meet Vladimir#Putin in Moscow tomorrow," Nehammer wrote on Twitter on Sunday before the talks.

"We are militarily neutral, but (have) a clear position on the Russian war of aggression against#Ukraine," he wrote, referring to Austria's position. "It needs humanitarian corridors."

The talks were held behind closed doors. The meeting with the Russian leader follows a trip by Nehammer to Ukraine on Saturday, during which the Austrian chancellor met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Neutral Austria has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine as well as helmets and body armor for civilians rather than weapons.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the meeting of his counterparts in Moscow and supports any diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

One day earlier, Zelensky had a phone call with Scholz to discuss defense and financial support for Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden was due to speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as he presses world leaders to take a hard line against Russia. India's neutral stance in the conflict has raised concerns in Washington, according to The Associated Press.

India continues to purchase Russian energy supplies, despite pressure from Western countries to avoid buying Russian oil and gas. The US has also considered sanctions on India for its recent purchase of advanced Russian air defense systems.

Missile systems destroyed

Russia has destroyed S-300 antiaircraft missile systems that had been supplied to Ukraine by a European country, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said that Russian sea-launched Kalibr missiles on Sunday destroyed four S-300 launchers that were concealed in a hangar on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Russia did not say which European country had supplied the S-300 systems.

The military developments come as an EU oil embargo on Russia draws nearer.

The European Union's executive is drafting proposals for a possible EU oil embargo on Russia, the foreign ministers of Ireland, Lithuania and the Netherlands said on Monday, although there is still no agreement to ban Russian crude.

On the economic front, the World Bank said in new forecasts published on Sunday that Ukraine's economy will collapse by 45.1 percent this year.

And the entire region is suffering the economic consequences of the conflict, and emerging and developing countries of Europe and Central Asia will see a 4.1 percent downturn, while Eastern Europe alone is expected to suffer a 30.7 percent drop in GDP, the report said.

Agencies via Xinhua