Finnish president sees Moscow's actions as an attempt at blackmail
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has accused Russia of driving people to his country's border. "I think Russia is making a mistake," Niinistö told the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit", whose next issue will be published on Thursday. "I am sure that people in Germany and other EU states also understand that Finland, the EU and Europe must not allow themselves to be blackmailed by this."
In the fall, the Finnish Border Guard registered a sharp increase in the number of people, mainly from the Middle East, who entered Finland from Russia without the necessary documents and applied for asylum in Finland. The government in Helsinki accuses the Russian leadership of orchestrating the arrivals and has gradually closed all border crossings with Russia.
Niinistö said that Russia had already tried something similar in 2015. At the time, he had spoken "very openly about Russia's aggressive behavior" to then Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Niinistö quoted the Finnish proverb: "The Cossack grabs everything that is not nailed down", and said that with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, you always have to be on your guard and act decisively. "If you act decisively, the Cossack gets nothing," said Niinistö. "I believe that the Russians and Putin listen to nothing but the language of power."
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Finland has faced repeated border challenges from Russia, with President Sauli Niinistö claiming a blackmail attempt in 2015 when he openly criticized Russia's aggressive behavior to then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Currently, Finland is dealing with another surge in migrants from the Middle East, with the government alleging that Russia orchestrates these arrivals and in response, has closed multiple border crossings.
As tensions rise, Niinistö has emphasized the importance of Finland and the EU not succumbing to Russia's blackmail attempts. This standpoint was further expressed in an interview with the German weekly newspaper "Die Zeit," where Niinistö voiced his concern about Europe allowing itself to be blackmailed.
Despite these challenges, President Niinistö has reiterated Finland's commitment to maintaining strong borders and standing firm against any form of blackmail, using the Finnish proverb "The Cossack grabs everything that is not nailed down" as a metaphor to highlight the need to always be vigilant and decisive against Russia.
Source: www.ntv.de
