– Now, however, it is worth noting that the meeting is being prepared sometime in the middle of next week. [Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey] Lavrov and [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken“he added.” But yes, there are nasty signs in Ukraine. “
President of the United States Joe Biden on Friday stated Putin has decided to attack Ukraine, citing intelligence gathered by the United States. “I am convinced he has made a decision,” he said before urging his comrade in the head of state to “choose diplomacy.”
“It’s not too late to calm down and return to the negotiating table.”
Finland has certainly been proposed as one possible venue for a major contribution meeting, but such proposals are largely theoretical, according to Niinistö. “What was asked of us was really a confirmation of the old: I have been saying for years that Finland is ready to provide good diplomatic services, but it seems that they have recently gathered in Geneva.”
He was also asked whether the situation had changed his perceptions of Finland’s possibility of joining NATO.
“We have a very stable situation at the moment and maybe, surprisingly, it looks very stable in the Baltic Sea as well. I would not recommend anyone to draw lightning-fast conclusions from this, ”he replied.
Although the crisis in Ukraine was the main theme of the Munich Security Conference, some 500 heads of state and decision-makers also discussed, among other things, the climate emergency, pandemic prevention and the situation in Afghanistan. Russia did not send a delegation to the conference for the first time since 1991.
“We are now on a chessboard where not making a move is also a move, so maybe absence is also a sign,” Niinistö analyzes.
The main event of the conference was a panel discussion of the President of Ukraine Niinistö Volodymyr ZelenskyThe Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz MorawieckiBritish Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss and the U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Niinistö drew attention to the exceptional nature of the situation, estimating that six months ago no one could have imagined such a threat of war in Europe.
“We are facing a kind of question that is very difficult for the civilized world. How do you react to behavior that is kind of like that of another planet?
He also compared the current situation to pre-Winter War Finland, when the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin thought he could divide the Finnish population to make it easier to conquer Finland. The opposite happened: the population gathered in the face of a challenge.
“I feel like the western world is feeling the same right now. We are being challenged, [but] we are together, “he said quoted as saying Helsingin sanomat newspaper.
Earlier on Saturday, Niinistö had an in-depth discussion with the German Chancellor on resolving the acute crisis. Olaf Scholz. Scholz on Tuesday caused concern in Finland e.g. stating In Moscow, the expansion of NATO to the east is not on the agenda in the near future.
“NATO’s door is open, there is no doubt about it,” Niinistö tweeted on Saturday.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page