Threat posed by Russia extends beyond Ukraine war: Finnish Foreign Minister

She calls on 'free world' to keep pushing back against Moscow, warns it will exploit weakness

- Kok Yufeng Correspondent

Finland's chief diplomat has called on the “free world” to “keep pushing back” against Russia, warning that the threat posed by Moscow extends beyond its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Elina Valtonen also warned of “global implications” should Ukraine be forced to cede territory to Russia to make peace one she believes will not last were Kyiv to make such concessions.

“That would wipe off 80 years of more or less peaceful history because the UN Charter specifically stipulates that a country has the full right to sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Ms Valtonen told The Straits Times in an interview on Oct 28, while on an official visit to Singapore.

She added: “(It) would just be an invitation to larger powers to use their violence and use force to move borders... Certainly not something that, for instance, the Indo-Pacific wants to see.”

Ms Valtonen’s remarks about the wider impact of the Ukraine war echoed those of Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen, who recently told The Guardian newspaper that defeating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is critical to restraining China in the Indo-Pacific.

“Unfortunately, the case is still that Russia only understands power,” Ms Valtonen said.

“We need strength. That’s what they understand. If they see weakness somewhere, they are certainly exploiting that.”

Finland, which shares a 1,340km land border with Russia, has a bitter history of losing land to its neighbour.

In 1939, it was invaded by the Soviet Union after refusing demands for it to cede land on its eastern border in exchange for land elsewhere.

The conflict ended with Finland losing about 10 per cent of its territory, with the areas handed over to Moscow still a part of Russia today.