Finland's Foreign Minister Says Finland Does Not View Russia as an Enemy

Foreign Minister Ville Itälä of Finland stated in a program on the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) that Finland does not view Russia as an enemy, but it is still too early to normalize relations.

She pointed out: "It is equally important to emphasize that we Finns do not see Russia as an enemy. Russia is not our enemy."

Itälä mentioned that before Russia "reinstates compliance with international law," it is premature to discuss normalizing relations with Russia.

The diplomat added: "We hope to establish friendly neighborly relations, but the timing is not yet ripe."

The minister stated that at present, it is necessary to continue supporting Ukraine, "weaken" Russia through sanctions, strengthen their own defense construction, rather than achieve normalization of relations with Moscow.

Previously, President Alexander Stubb of Finland said that Finland needs to "prepare psychologically" for restoring relations with Moscow.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of Russian President, commented on the remarks of Finnish leaders, stating that Russia is open to countries willing to achieve normalization of relations and advocates maintaining and developing good mutually beneficial relations, including with Helsinki.

In recent years, Russian-Finnish relations have clearly deteriorated, partly due to Finland joining NATO. Moscow considers this step meaningless because Russian troops and strike systems are already near the country's borders.

In addition, Helsinki decided to close the border, claiming that Moscow was sending asylum seekers to its borders. Russia has repeatedly denied such accusations.

Pavel Kuznetsov, Russian Ambassador to Finland, emphasized that Helsinki's policies have damaged bilateral relations, leading to a catastrophic collapse in all areas of cooperation between the two countries. This diplomat believes that even during the prelude to World War II, there was no such "iron curtain" between the two countries.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828628236333386/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.