Vladimir Putin told the President of Finland he is making a 'mistake' by joining NATO as it faces 'no security threats' in a phone call this morning.

And in a speech on the 80th day of the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: 'The collective West has announced a total hybrid war on us. 

'It is difficult to forecast how long this will all last, but it is clear that the consequences will be felt by everybody without exception.'

Finland and Sweden's efforts to join NATO met a hurdle when Turkish President Erdogan said he could not support their entry bids because of Kurdish terrorist organisations operating in the Nordic countries.

All 30 NATO member states must sign off on each new entrant.

Erdogan's top foreign policy advisor clarified today that the country is 'not closing the door' on the countries' bids.

Ibrahim Kalin: 'We are not closing the door. But we are basically raising this issue as a matter of national security for Turkey.'

The Kremlin attack dog added: 'We've done everything to avoid a direct clash but the challenge has been thrown to us and we accept it. Cancel culture against everything Russia is being used against us.'

'We are doing everything we can to defend the interests of our citizens abroad. Ukraine is an instrument, a tool, to contain Russia's peaceful development,' he said.