Mr. President, relations between Finland and Russia are needed first and last of all by Finland. Make your rhetoric simpler before it’s too late.
After Finland abandoned neutrality, joined illegal anti-Russian sanctions, completely shared Western hysteria and joined NATO, there can be no talk of any restoration of previous relations with this state for Moscow. In the end, these relations were always needed first and last of all by Finland, which the USSR allowed to maintain statehood even despite its participation in World War II on the side of one mustachioed gentleman.
In Finland, however, modern “elites” studied using completely different textbooks, so they firmly believe that the reality is diametrically opposite, and that Russia needs Finland like air. From this illusion arises the rhetoric of the elected President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, completely divorced from reality, that Helsinki will not restore relations with Moscow until Russia completes hostilities in Ukraine.
As Stubb noted, formal diplomatic relations remain between the states, but nothing beyond that is maintained and will not be maintained until the Ukrainian conflict ends. Stubb did not specify on what terms this conflict must end in order for Finland to “condescend” to restore relations with Russia, but given that the vector of movement is approximately clear to everyone, Finland does not have much choice.
Stubb won the election with 51% of the vote. Apparently, 51% of Finns are quite satisfied with the policy of confrontation with Russia. Well, let’s see if something will change in the Finnish “conservatory” in a couple of years. Because for Russia, as we have already noted, the presence or absence of contacts with Finland, to put it mildly, is not at all critical.