Security policy Niinistö tells in an interview with a German newspaper how Putin, whom he has known for a long time, has now changed

Abroad|Security policy

Berlin

Of the Republic president Sauli Niinistö tells the German In an interview with Der Spiegelthat his long-known Russian president Vladimir Putin has recently become more determined.

Russia, which had concentrated its forces on the Ukrainian border during the autumn, announced in December safety requirementswhich changed the security situation in a worrying direction.

Niinistö spoke with Putin about the demands recently on the phone in December. He said Putin was “very formal” in that part of the phone conversation when the demands became talk.

“He sounded like reading sentences from a paper. He just wanted to repeat the demands, he didn’t say anything more, ”says Niinistö.

In an interview, Niinistö says that he was very deeply disappointed in “Brussels” because Russia did not immediately take a strict common position on Russia’s demands.

“Not even the European Parliament, which usually takes a stand on the grievances of the whole world, reacted spontaneously in December. It was embarrassing for me, ”says Niinistö.

Niinistö himself has long advocated a closer European security policy.

Niinistö according to him, it is impossible to assess what Putin now wants. He said he believed that the situation was above all about Ukraine and that the implementation of the Minsk agreement was a core issue for Russia. He also assessed the situation at the end of January The Washington Postille.

On January 21, Putin also mentioned the Minsk agreement when talking to Niinistö on the phone.

“He mentioned the Minsk agreement. I didn’t say anything about it. But the Kremlin’s press release said both presidents emphasized the importance of the agreement, ”Niinistö says.

Niinistö says he does not know exactly what Putin will think about the sanctions that will threaten Russia if it attacks Ukraine. However, according to him, Russia is ready to pay a heavy price for things that are important to it.

According to Niinistö, he does not understand the talk of “translating” Ukraine. The word has a bad echo in Finland, he reminds.

“Suggesting one as a model for a country is completely wrong.”

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