Sauli Niinistö even wanted to introduce his mother to Putin – The pictures show how the relationship with Finland has fallen apart – 2024-03-28 16:37:19

In 2005, Putin still managed to arrive with a flower delivery to meet the then president of Finland, Tarja Halo. The same would not be seen today. DMITRY ASTAKHOV/IZVESTIA

Elections will be held in Russia this weekend, the result of which has been considered clear: Vladimir Putin is elected for his fifth term.

Today, however, Russia is led by a quite different president than almost 25 years ago, when he first took up his post.

Researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute Kristiina Silvan previously assessed to Iltalehti that in the early 2000s Russia was a “rising star” on the world stage, seen as a good and reliable partner both in the Soviet republics and in the West. The country’s economy was growing, and the state was integrating into international and European organizations. Great developments were also noticeable in the country’s democracy at that time.

Around this time, the relations with the president of Finland who had just started in his position as well Tarja Halonen were good. At first, Putin and Halonen met annually, sometimes more often.

Halonen even described Putin as his friend.

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The annexation of Crimea electrified the spaces

The good relations between the presidents of Finland and Russia always continued Sauli Niinistön until the beginning of the first presidential term. In the years 2008–2012, Putin’s place at the head of the country was filled by Dmitri Medvedev, who was also known for his warm relations with Halo.

In 2012, Putin returned to the presidency, and Niinistö started his first term in Finland. At the first meeting of the presidents, the two were immortalized in brotherly relations in the hockey rink located on the Karelian Isthmus.

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The first real change in the relations between Finland and Russia was only seen in 2014, with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula belonging to Ukraine.

of Finland’s former ambassador to Moscow Hannu Himanen however, even at that time, the events did not essentially ruin the relations between Finland and Russia. However, the situation led to a clear electrification of the communication between the presidents.

Officially good relations remained, however, for years. In 2018, the decision to host Putin and the President of the United States spoke of the trust shown in Finland Donald Trump’s top meeting in Helsinki.

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Enemy from Finland

In autumn 2021, the situation had turned upside down with the tightening of the situation in Ukraine.

The last telephone conversation between the presidents of Finland and Russia took place in May 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine in February. During the call, Niinistö announced that Finland will soon apply for NATO membership.

Since then, Finland has been painted as an enemy in Russia as part of the “West” and NATO. The situation on Finland’s eastern border has tightened, and the Russian leadership’s threats of nuclear weapons are almost commonplace after the war.

In December 2023, Putin took a stance on Russian-Finnish relations on the Russian television channel Rossiya-1, and said that he believed “there will be problems with Finland” due to the recent NATO membership.

Recently, Putin has also threatened that Russia will strengthen its armed forces on its western border. In a televised interview in March 2024, Putin said he would move troops to the Finnish border.

– We haven’t had troops (at the Finnish border), but now there will be. There have been no weapon systems there, there will be in the future, he stated in an interview on the Rossija-1 channel.

However, several experts have pointed out that currently Russia’s resources are tied up in Ukraine. Concrete actions in the areas beyond the Finnish border are therefore hardly to be expected in the near future.

Despite the improvement, Finland’s relations with Russia are still not in Putin’s fifth term. After Sunday’s election, the dictator is expected to remain in power at least until 2030.