May 14 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin told Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto on Saturday that abandoning neutrality and joining NATO would be a mistake that could damage relations between the two countries, the Kremlin said.
Both sides said their presidents spoke on the phone two days after Finland announced its intention to join the Western alliance. Moscow described it as a security threat that would require it to react, but did not specify how.
Niinisto’s office said he had told Putin “how fundamentally Russia’s demands at the end of 2021 to prevent countries from joining NATO and Russia’s mass invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 changed the environment for security in Finland. “
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He said Finland wanted to deal with its Russian neighbor in a “proper and professional way”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Artyom Joga, the father of Sparta battalion commander Vladimir Joga, who died in a conflict in Ukraine after a Victory Day parade marking the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s victory in World War II. World War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2022. Sputnik / Mikhail Metzel / Pool through REUTERS
The Kremlin said: “Vladimir Putin stressed that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, as there are no threats to Finland’s security. Such a change in the country’s foreign policy could have a negative impact on Russian-Finnish relations.”
Moscow described the call as an “open exchange of views”, usually a diplomatic euphemism for a difficult conversation.
Niinisto said: “The conversation was direct and clear and was conducted without aggravation. Avoiding tension was considered important.”
Finland’s membership bid is expected to be followed by a similar move by Sweden, confronting Putin with exactly what he said he wanted to avoid when he launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24: further NATO enlargement to Russia’s borders .
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Additional reports by Essi Lehto; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Edited by David Clark
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