The Russian Federation has repeatedly said that Ukraine’s entry into NATO is a red line for Moscow. Lavrov was asked why Finland’s entry into NATO was not like that, and what was the difference between the countries.
“I think the Finnish authorities made a mistake,” the Russian minister replied.
Lavrov noted that he knew the current President of Finland well when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“[Александр] Stubb was a reasonable man. We had excellent human and good professional relations,” said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
And then, after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Finnish leadership, according to Lavrov, “fell into nostalgia” for the times when they allegedly “helped” Nazi Germany defeat the Russian Federation in World War II.
Context
Against the background of a full-scale war of the aggressor country Russia against Ukraine, Finland, which has a border with the Russian Federation with a total length of almost 1.3 thousand km, joined NATO and announced its withdrawal from the convention banning the use of anti-personnel mines.
Finland also consistently supports Ukraine in the war against the Russian occupiers, in particular, it participates in the training of Ukrainian military personnel and provides Kyiv with military assistance. In addition, Finland will buy weapons from the United States for Ukraine.
In April 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a bilateral security agreement providing for long-term support from Helsinki and deepening cooperation between the two countries.
