As the increase in Russian troops continues near Ukraine, the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö has appeared in international publications over the weekend as a person with a special understanding of Russian affairs Vladimir Putinreports Helsingin sanomat newspaper.
In addition to Germany Der Spiegel and Sweden Dagens Nyheter, New York Times stated on Sunday that Niinistö, who has "He plays an important role as an interpreter between East and West, not optimistic about the prospects for peace."
The newspaper quoted Niinistö as saying that Putin’s attitude has changed recently: "His state of mind, determination, determination – it’s clearly different."
Niinistö told NYT that he believed Putin felt he had to take action "the momentum he now has."
prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) said on Sunday that Finland could provide financial assistance to Ukraine. The Prime Minister said that possible sanctions against Russia would affect the Finnish economy, as Moscow is likely to respond with counter-sanctions.
Rising prices
The era of extremely cheap mortgages is coming to an end, reports Helsingin sanomat newspaperwho has interviewed economists at Handelsbanken and Nordea.
Finns have become accustomed to negative interest rates over the past six years, when the 12-month Euribor, Finland’s most popular reference rate for mortgages, has been negative since February 2016.
Both Handelsbanken and Nordea said the era of negative interest rates is over and households should be prepared for two to three percent interest rates.
Hunger for diversity
The grocery chain Yalla Food Store is looking to expand nationwide, he says Hufvudstadsbladet.
The Iraqi-born couple behind Yalla said they had started their business after finding that other specialty stores, known in Finland as ethnic movements, charged high prices.
"We wanted to stop this trend and work more strategically and cost-effectively," Sara Al-Zankanah told the Swedish-speaking day.
The couple, which has three stores – one in Helsinki and two in Vantaa – said that their goal is to challenge Finnish supermarket chains in the future.
Source: The Nordic Page