In a phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto that applying for NATO membership would be a “mistake” because there are no threats to Finland’s security.
In a call initiated by Helsinki on Saturday, Niinisto informed Putin of Finland’s decision to seek NATO membership, according to the Xinhua news agency.
In response, Putin “stressed that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake, since there are no threats to Finland’s security”, the Kremlin said in a statement
Putin expressed concern that Helsinki’s plans to join NATO would have a negative impact on Russia-Finland relations, according to the statement.
The two Presidents also discussed the Ukrainian conflict, during which Putin stated that peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives are underway “were actually suspended by Kiev that does not show interest in a serious and constructive dialogue”.
The call came after Finland’s ruling Social Democratic Party endorsed the plan to join the military alliance.
In a vote held on Saturday, 53 members voted in favor of joining NATO, five opposed, and two abstained.
On May 12, Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated her support for Finland joining NATO.
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