Finland’s next president says he will not have political relations with Russia until the Ukraine war is over

Finland’s next president, Alexander Stubbe, said on Monday that his country would not maintain high-level relations with Finland. Russia until the Kremlin ends the war in Ukraine.

Relations between Moscow and Helsinki have deteriorated sharply since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Finland to end decades of military non-alignment and join NATO.

“We currently have no political ties with Russia,” Stubb said, adding that “substantive” Russian-Finnish relations remain, including contacts with diplomats and border security officials.

“I don’t think the situation will improve in the near future, because relations between the two countries cannot be built until Russia stops the war,” Stubb added at a press conference carried by state TV station Eire.

Mr Stubb was elected Finland’s next president after the second round of voting on Sunday. He assumed office on March 1st.

The Kremlin announced early Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not congratulate Mr. Stubb on his election victory because Finland is one of the countries that the Kremlin considers “unfriendly.”

Asked about the Finnish government’s policy toward Russia, Stubb told reporters: “Quite simply, we are solid with Ukraine, we are solid with the European Union and of course with NATO.”

Russia, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Finland, immediately warned of “countermeasures” after Helsinki joined NATO in April 2023.

Finland closed its border with Russia late last year, accusing Russia of orchestrating an influx of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.