Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto during a press conference. File photo TOKYO, May 13 — RIA Novosti. Helsinki considers Russia an «important neighbor», but due to the events in Ukraine and security issues in Europe, relations with it are «difficult» , Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said in an interview with the Japanese television channel NHK.
"Russia is an important neighbor for Finland. Until now, under Gorbachev and Yeltsin, we had a positive relationship. However, in connection with the military operation in Ukraine and the issues of the security structure in Europe, they become very difficult", the minister said.
Sweden and Finland started talking about the possibility of abandoning their long-term neutrality and joining NATO against the backdrop of a Russian special operation on Ukraine. The Secretary General of the organization Jens Stoltenberg supported this idea and promised to provide both countries with a quick entry. The Kremlin called the accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance an existential threat to the country. And Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev announced the need to be prepared for the bloc's aggressive actions against the backdrop of attempts to expand its presence near the Russian borders. When will a country apply to NATO?