It is no longer unclear which side of the Gulf of Finland finally had a more correct idea of Putin, writes ‘s foreign journalist Mika Mäkeläinen.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shattered Finns’ misconceptions about the Russian president Vladimir from Putin.
– Now the masks have been taken off. Only the cold face of war is visible, the president described Sauli Niinistö on Thursday when the full-scale war in Ukraine began.
In Finland, however, no attention has been paid to the fact that the Baltic countries have seen Putin behind the mask for much longer.
There are politicians in Finland who have questioned the security concerns of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as Russia’s neighbor. As if Finland knew better.
At that time, Estonia also demanded a stricter policy from Russia from the EU, but the then president of Finland Tarja Halonen defended Finland’s more cautious line.
Halonen said that Estonians were experiencing post-Soviet stress, which was interpreted as a reproach in Estonia. In particular, the President of Estonia was attacked Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
– Estonia has never criticized, and in the future will not criticize, the foreign policy decisions of another EU country. It also does not assess the mental state of other EU countries, Ilves said indignantly in an interview with News.
Very different in Finland and Estonia attitudes towards Putin’s Russia continued.
The word choices sound either quite bona fide or YYA-spirited embellishment.
In practice, the biggest line difference between Finland and Estonia was in the attitude towards Russian gas pipelines across the Baltic Sea. For Finland, regardless of the color of the government, they were only an environmental issue, but Estonia considered the project political.
Ilves, on the other hand, has continued to warn Russia.
When Russia took over Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Ilves said that Estonia was ready to oppose NATO if necessary. According to Ilves (you will switch to another service) Finland’s then foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja (sd.) belittled knowledge of Ilves’ history.
However, there is no need to dig into history years ago. Until the very last moments, Finland’s attitude towards Russia was different from that in the Baltic countries.
Two weeks ago, a Member of the European Parliament on ‘s A-Talk program Mauri Pekkarinen (center) comments on the attitude of the Baltic countries when talking about the unity of the EU countries in the face of the Russian threat.
Pekkarinen stated that “since now they have been separated from the old Soviet Union or become independent, they have been agitated all along.”
A smug and bona fide acknowledgment across the Gulf of Finland has never seemed wise. At the latest, Finland now has a place for self-critical reflection.
The idea that we have been particularly familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking has been relaxed in Finland. Now, on the third day of Russia’s attack, it is no longer unclear which side of the Gulf of Finland finally had a more realistic view of Putin’s Russia.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: You were right.
This analysis is the third in a series that News continues during the Russian invasion. We aim to publish a brief but in-depth and in-depth analysis every day at around 12 noon.
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