EU agrees on new package of sanctions against Russia
Poland says security agreement with Ukraine will be ready soon
"People think that a journalist should only praise the government" - Adil Huseynov
Finland's new foreign and security policy report states that the Nordic country will not attempt to restore political relations with Russia while the latter is waging its war of aggression against Ukraine.
As reported by Finnish public service media company Yle, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally changed Finnish-Russian relations, the report says. Political relations between the countries have been severed and only diplomatic relations and the necessary cooperation between the authorities, including at the border, are still functioning.
The report says political relations with Russia cannot be restored while Russia continues its war of aggression and violates international law.
Finland will, however, try to support the conditions for the functioning of Russian civil society to the best of its abilities, the report says.
Nevertheless, the report does not identify Russia as posing a direct military threat to Finland. However, the report states that Finland should be prepared for a threat of military force.
It is expected that Russia will continue to conduct hybrid attacks against Finland. An example of this is the redirection of asylum seekers to the eastern border.
The report also calls for preparation for damage to critical infrastructure.
Russia had been threatening Finland with "consequences" if it joined NATO and promised to increase its military presence near the border.
However, despite Moscow's threats, Russian military bases near the Finnish border are almost empty, media reports suggest, as personnel and equipment have been deployed to the war against Ukraine.
