MOSCOW, June 20 Finland will not build political relations with Russia as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Finnish government's report on foreign and security policy says.
«Finland's assessment of relations with Russia and the possibilities for cooperation will depend on Russia's actions. This assessment will also take place within the EU and NATO,» the document, published on the Finnish Foreign Ministry's website, says.
It also states that «Finland will refrain from building political relations with Russia as long» as the Ukrainian conflict continues.
Finland joined the North Atlantic Alliance on April 4, 2023.
Recently, the West has increasingly heard talk of a direct armed conflict between the alliance and the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained in detail in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that Moscow is not going to attack NATO countries; there is no point in this. He noted that Western politicians regularly intimidate their populations with an imaginary Russian threat in order to distract attention from domestic problems, but «smart people understand perfectly well that this is fake.» The Kremlin emphasized that the Russian Federation will not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests. In recent years, Russia has noted NATO's unprecedented activity near its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives and calls this «containing Russian aggression.» Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the buildup of alliance forces in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia remains open to dialogue with NATO, but on an equal basis, while the West must abandon the course of militarizing the continent.