The Finnish president informed his counterpart on Saturday Vladimir Putin his country’s imminent candidacy for NATO, a step that the Russian leader called a “mistake”.
“The conversation was direct and blunt and it went smoothly. Avoiding tensions was considered something important,” said the Finnish head of state Sauli Niinistö, who in these years has had fluid contact with the Russian president.
In a subsequent statement released by the Kremlin, Putin made it clear to his counterpart that “the end of the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, since there is no threat to the security of Finland“.
“Such a change in the country’s political orientation may have a negative impact on Russian-Finnish relations that were developed over the years in a spirit of good neighborliness and cooperation and were mutually advantageous,” the Kremlin added.
Niinistö and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced on Thursday that they were in favor of joining NATO “without delay” and the country is expected to make its candidacy official on Sunday.
The Nordic country believes that the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s demands that NATO not expand justify its decision.
Sweden, which has also historically stayed out of military alliances, is also set to present its bid for NATO membership shortly after a meeting of the ruling Social Democratic party on Sunday.
no russian electricity
In retaliation for these candidatures, Russia threatens “military-technical” measures. And maybe they have already started. This Saturday, electricity exports from Russia to Finland were suspended.
The company responsible for the import of Russian electricity in Finland, RAO Nordic, with 100% of its Russian capital, had announced on Friday that the supply was going to be suspended due to non-payments.
Russian exports to Finland “currently equal zero. This is the case since midnight (21:00 GMT), as announced,” Timo Kaukonen, head of operations at Fingrid, the Finnish operator, told AFP.
The network currently works thanks to imports from Sweden, according to real-time information from Fingrid, which announced on Friday that it could perfectly do without Russian electricity.
Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border and a painful past with Russia, says it expects cyberattacks and violations of its territories after making its candidacy official.
In addition to Russian suspicion, the future accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO has also generated the displeasure of Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not hide his rejection at the idea of their being part of the Alliance, which has 30 members, including Turkey.
Erdogan reproached the two countries for being a “refuge for PKK terrorists”, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, considered terrorist by Turkey, but also by the European Union (EU) and the United States.
Turkey could block these accessions because unanimity is needed to receive new members.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assured that the two Nordic countries will be received with “open arms” in the Alliance.
A new stage in the process towards accession took place this Saturday in Helsinki, when the Prime Minister’s Social Democratic Party gave its approval to the country’s candidacy.
Of the 60 members of the party leadership, 53 voted in favor of accession, 5 against and two abstained.
Finland’s parliament will meet on Monday and cast a vote in favor of accession during the day, after consulting the 200 deputies.