Russia´s ultimatums to U.S., NATO concern Europe: Niinistö

President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday said that the ultimatums Russia gave to the U.S. and NATO in December concern Europe.

In his New Year´s speech, the President said that the conflict on the borders of Ukraine is on the verge of getting deeper.

“Tensions have also been building up as regards European security. The change has been rapid. Still last summer, following President Biden's trip to Europe, the primary cause of concern seemed to be China. After Presidents Biden and Putin met in Geneva, it was assumed that the United States and Russia were in a process of building lines of communication. The polite host, Europe, was mainly listening,” said Niinistö.

He said that now the feel is different.

“The ultimatums Russia gave to the U.S. and NATO in December concern Europe. They are in conflict with the European security order. Spheres of interest do not belong to the 2020s. The sovereign equality of all states is the basic principle that everyone should respect,” the President added.

He said that ultimately, patience, responsibility and dialogue are the only roads forward. It is not possible to build a sustainable future by threatening with the use of armed force or other kinds of violence.

Accordingly, the response to the Russian demands has been the offer of dialogue, said Niinistö, adding that Finland has also made efforts to promote and continue dialogue for its own part.

“We must, however, be careful about what is being talked about and with whom. Many Europeans have asked, and not for the first time: are we being discussed without us being included? Even though the challenge was presented to the U.S. and NATO, in this situation Europe cannot just listen in,” he said.

The sovereignty of several Member States, also Sweden and Finland, has been challenged from outside the Union, said the President, adding,“ this makes the EU an involved party. The EU must not settle merely with the role of a technical coordinator of sanctions.”

“International tensions cause concern in many Finns as well. European security also involves Finnish security. In an open society, there is always room for discussion and different opinions, no matter whether they concern the dangers of the situation or the ways of protecting ourselves from them,” the President added.

He opined that when it comes to Finland, the situation is clear. Finland's foreign and security policy line remains stable.

“National security, self-determination and room to manoeuvre are just as important to small nations as to big ones. While taking care of these fundamentals, we are also safeguarding Finland's international status,” he said.

“ Finland's room to manoeuvre and freedom of choice also include the possibility of military alignment and of applying for NATO membership, should we ourselves so decide. NATO's business is the so-called Open Door policy, the continuance of which has been repeatedly confirmed to Finland, also publicly,” said the President.

Pointing out the talks between Biden and Putin this week he said, “ we may be somewhat wiser in mid-January, when we see what will follow from the negotiation contacts between Russia, the U.S. and NATO. For Finland, it is important that also the OSCE is involved in this series of meetings,” he said.

At the beginning of his speech, the President said that during the past year, there have been heated debates in Finland about the pandemic. And currently, for a good reason, security policy is emerging as a topic of discussion.

“The third year of the coronavirus pandemic is about to begin. The disease has turned out to be a persistent and cunning opponent. It has been difficult to keep up with the rapidly spreading pandemic. And it has been impossible to get ahead of it,” he said.

He said that the specialists in science and healthcare have been sharing their competence worldwide and the governments should also enhance their cooperation so that this plague could be beaten together.

The President also spoke about the climate change and wellbeing of the young people.