Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told the Reuters news agency that she opposes the idea of imposing neutrality on Ukraine.
Valtonen’s comments were in response to the possibility of incoming US president Donald Trump moving to quickly end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Some of Ukraine’s allies are concerned that Ukraine could be forced to abstain from seeking membership of Nato in exchange for peace talks with Russia to move forward.
“I’m against it [Finlandisation], yes. Let’s face it, Ukraine was neutral before they were attacked by Russia,” Valtonen told Reuters.
The FM also questioned whether Russia “could be trusted even if it agreed a deal and said forcing Ukraine’s hand to accept terms against its will would tear down the international system.”
Finlandisation refers to Finland’s policy of non-alignment during the Cold War and is a widely used term in the field of international relations describing similar geopolitical situations. The phrase in Finland is often viewed as pejorative and an oversimplification of the country’s history.
Spurred by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Finland joined Nato in 2023, ending decades of military non-alignment.
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