On Monday, the Kremlin urged Finland and Sweden against joining NATO, warning that their impending membership would not bring stability to Europe.

"We have repeatedly said that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation and its further expansion will not bring stability to the European continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing when questioned about the potential of the nations joining NATO.

His remarks came shortly after US officials told The Times of London that Finland and Sweden could join NATO as early as this summer, with NATO membership for both countries being "a topic of conversation and multiple sessions" last week during NATO's foreign ministers' meeting in which Sweden and Finland participated.

According to Newsweek, an Estonian diplomatic officer and a member of the United Kingdom's NATO mission confirmed that The Time's claim was correct. According to the Estonian official, Sweden and Finland attended a NATO summit last week.

According to The Times, Finland may submit an application for NATO membership in June, with Sweden following suit.

Newsweek reached out to NATO for comment but was referred to remarks made last week by the alliance's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated on April 2 that the country would decide whether to apply for membership in the alliance by the end of the spring.

"Russia is not the neighbor we expected," Mari said, adding that the country's relations with Moscow had deteriorated irreversibly since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Tobias Baudin, the secretary-general of Sweden's ruling Social Democratic party, told local media sites that the country was examining its international security strategy and would consider joining NATO or not. He stated that the review should be completed within the next three months.

Sergei Belyaev, director of Russia's Foreign Ministry's Second European Department, previously told Russia's state-run news outlet Interfax that the two Nordic nations' refusal to join NATO is "an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe."

And a day after Putin launched his invasion, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned of "serious military-political repercussions" if Finland and Sweden joined NATO.

On April 3, Stoltenberg told CNN's Dana Bash that if Finland and Sweden seek NATO membership, they will be "very much welcomed by all allies" by all allies and that "we will find a way to do that in a relatively quick way, to take them into the alliance."

NATO would increase to 32 members as a result of the change. Putin has expressed concern that the alliance's eastward expansion posed a threat to Russia's security.

Newsweek has reached out to Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finnish and Swedish governments for additional comment.