Moscow, April 6 – Russia’s Ambassador to Finland, Pavel Kuznetsov, painted a bleak picture of future relations between the two countries, stating there would be “no return to the previous format of cooperation” following Finland’s accession to NATO.
In an interview with TASS, Kuznetsov accused Finland of aligning itself with the “aggressive military bloc” of NATO and criticized Finnish politicians for “almost completely dismantling cooperation” with Russia. He pointed to limited working contacts maintained through diplomatic channels and security services for specific issues as evidence of the strained relationship.
The Ambassador went further, suggesting Finland had joined a “party of war against Russia” in the Ukraine conflict. He cited Finnish military aid to Ukraine and its position as a “top ten sponsor per capita” as justifications for his claim.
The potential deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on Finnish soil emerged as another point of contention. Kuznetsov warned of “specific steps” in response to such a move, emphasizing Russia’s need to address “real threats” to its security. While expecting “common sense to prevail,” he made it clear that any such “major provocation” would elicit a Russian response.
Despite the harsh rhetoric, Kuznetsov did hold out some hope for a future improvement in relations. He acknowledged that ties would eventually be restored, but cautioned that the pace would depend heavily on the broader course of action taken by the West towards Russia.