Imposing neutrality on Ukraine will not bring a peaceful solution to the current crisis with Russia. This was announced by the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonenová, on Monday. According to her, Moscow cannot be trusted to abide by any peace agreement. TASR reports according to the Reuters agency.
Valtonenová pointed out the problematic nature of the “Finlandization” model for Ukraine. According to her, Helsinki was able to repel the attack of Soviet Russia in the war, and despite the subsequent peace, they always had to arm in fear of a new conflict. Finland, together with Sweden, renounced its neutrality after Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and decided to strengthen its security by becoming a member of NATO.
“I’m against (Finlandization), yes. Let’s face it, Ukraine was neutral before Russia attacked it,” Valtonenová said on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum. “It’s definitely not something I would impose on Ukraine. Certainly not as a first alternative,” she added, saying that the current problems would not go away. She also questioned Russia’s credibility. “I really want to avoid a situation where any European country, and in this case the United States, will negotiate behind Ukraine’s back,” she said. “A major power cannot afford to simply seize territory and essentially weaken the sovereignty of another nation,” she said.
Finland was part of Tsarist Russia for more than a century and gained independence in 1917. Despite the non-aggression pact, the Soviet Union attacked Finland without a declaration of war on November 30, 1939; this conflict became known as the Winter War. The Red Army suffered a huge fiasco in it, despite a significant advantage. Finland later sided with Nazi Germany in the Second World War to regain territory occupied by the Soviet Union.
After the end of World War II, Finland was forced to maintain friendly relations with its eastern neighbor for decades. Its neutrality preserved its independence, and this tactic became known as “Finlandization”. After the electoral success in the presidential elections, the future US president Donald Trump is looking for a way to end the conflict in Ukraine as quickly as possible. Kiev’s allies fear that one scenario could be a neutral status imposed on Ukraine. This would also de facto stop Ukraine’s efforts to become a member of NATO.
