Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. LEHTIKUVA
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The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to restoring diplomatic relations with Finland, describing the current state of bilateral ties as “nearly zero”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the deterioration followed Finland’s decision to join NATO in 2023, which Moscow considers a strategic miscalculation. He said Russia was willing to normalise relations “with those who wish to do so”.
“We had no problems with them at all. There was mutually beneficial co-operation,” said Peskov. “But Finland and Sweden preferred to reduce these relations virtually to zero.”
Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, which has remained closed for more than a year. Helsinki shut the crossings in late 2023, citing Moscow’s alleged use of migration as a geopolitical pressure tactic. Russia has denied the claim.
On Monday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Finland must “mentally prepare” for the eventual restoration of relations with its eastern neighbour. Speaking in London alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Stubb acknowledged the geopolitical reality of Finland’s location.
“Nothing removes the fact that Russia is and will always be Finland’s neighbour,” he said.
Stubb did not suggest immediate steps toward engagement, stating that any move to rebuild ties would depend on the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine and an internal Finnish debate on how to proceed.
“The timing will depend on when the war ends,” he said. “But at some point, this discussion will come.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a turning point in Finnish foreign policy. Within a year, Finland ended decades of military non-alignment by joining NATO, citing security threats posed by Moscow. Sweden followed in 2024.
The shift was met with strong criticism from the Kremlin. Peskov said NATO’s military infrastructure was now being “dragged” onto Finnish and Swedish territory, which he claimed undermined previous co-operation.
Despite the tension, Putin’s office stressed that restoring relations was still an option.
“President Putin has repeatedly said that our country is open to normalising relations with those who wish to do so,” Peskov said.
Stubb, who visited U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida before his meeting in London, has also called for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to begin on 20 April. He has positioned Finland as a supporter of Ukraine while maintaining that long-term regional stability will require engagement beyond the war.
The Finnish government has not yet responded to Moscow’s latest remarks, and no direct diplomatic contact between Helsinki and the Kremlin has been announced.
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
