Russia Considers Finland's Border Closure as Step Towards Breaking Ties
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow sees Helsinki's move to close the border with Russia as a step towards a complete severance of relations between the two countries, Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov told Sputnik.
"We see Helsinki's decision to close the border as another step in a long chain of actions by the Finnish authorities aimed at a complete severance of relations with Russia," Kuznetsov said.
Finland does not take into account the rights and interests of both Finnish and Russian citizens, he added.
"However, statements by Finnish Interior Ministry representatives inspire some optimism that various options are being studied that would allow for the resumption of movement across the border. We hope that these declarations will lead to concrete actions. We expect that the opening of the border will also contribute to the ongoing dialogue between the border services of our countries," the ambassador said.
Finland started temporarily closing checkpoints on its border with Russia in early November 2023, citing an influx of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and North Africa. Helsinki later announced that the border would remain closed until February 11. The Finnish government is expected to extend the border closure on Thursday.
