The Russian President, Vladimir Putinwarned his Finnish counterpart today, Sauli Niinistowhat “it’s a mistake” put an end to its policy of neutrality, at a time when the Nordic country is preparing to formalize its candidacy to join NATO as a result of the war in Ukraine.
“Putin stressed that ending the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, as there is no threat to Finland’s security,” the Kremlin said in a statement about the phone conversation between the two leaders.
The text stressed that this change in foreign policy “can negatively influence Russian-Finnish relations, which for many years were characterized by a spirit of good neighborliness and cooperation between partners, and had a mutually beneficial aspect.”
Niinisto formally informed Putin of his decision to apply for membership in the military alliance
Putin responded in these terms in the telephone conversation with Niinisto, in which the Finnish president formally informed him of his decision to request membership in the military alliancesomething that could become official tomorrow.
According to the Kremlin, the conversation was “frank” and was characterized by the “exchange of frank points of view,” the Europa Press news agency reported.
“In particular, Putin shared his vision of the negotiating process between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which was practically frozen by kyiv, which shows no interest in a serious and constructive dialogue,” the statement said.
The dialogue took place on the same day that Russia suspended electricity supplies to Finland.
The company responsible for the import, RAO Nordic, with 100% of its Russian capital, had announced yesterday that the supply was going to be suspended due to non-payment, although no details were given on whether this is related to European sanctions against Russia since the invasion. from Ukraine.
Exports to Finland “are currently equivalent to zero. This has been the case since midnight (6:00 p.m. on Friday in Argentina), as had been announced,” Timo Kaukonen, head of operations at Fingrid, the operator, told the AFP news agency. Finnish.
The network works thanks to imports from Sweden, according to real-time information from Fingrid, which announced yesterday that it could perfectly do without Russian electricity.
Finland, which shares nearly 1,300 kilometers of border with Russia, imports 10% of the electricity it needs from its neighbor
Finlandwhich shares nearly 1,300 kilometers of border with Russia, he imports 10% of the electricity he needs from his neighbor.
The announcement of the end of electricity supply to Finland coincides with a increased tension between the two countries due to the will of the Nordic nation to submit its candidacy to NATO.
“Being a member of NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member, Finland would also strengthen the Alliance as a whole,” President Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a statement on Thursday.
Without expressing a formal recommendation, a report prepared by the Swedish Government with all the parties in Parliament yesterday ruled in favor of also joining the military alliance.
Although the Kremlin threatened Finland and Sweden with “consequences” in case of accession, the report considers an armed attack highly unlikely, but acknowledges that Russian “provocations” and “retaliation” “cannot be ruled out”.
Both Scandinavian countries could officially join NATO at the summit scheduled for June in Madridalthough for that they need the unanimous vote of the member countries, something that Turkey hinted yesterday that it will not happen.
“We are currently following developments in Sweden and Finland, but we do not have a positive opinion. The Scandinavian countries are like a guest house for terrorist organizations,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party ( PKK), considered a “terrorist” group by his country, the European Union and the United States.
On the contrary, the entry of the two Nordic nations was supported by the US president, Joe Biden, his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and the secretary general of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, who said he was ready to receive them “with open arms.” “.
