MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Moscow is open to a dialogue with Helsinki on the countries' border situation and hopes that the republic's mass media will convey the Russian position to Finland's government and the public, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"We are open to a dialogue, especially on the border issue. We have not ended this dialogue, we have not terminated it; we have not cut off any channel of communication for Helsinki. We have said this to Finnish representatives directly. The Finnish ambassador to Russia [Antti Helantera] was summoned [to the Russian Foreign Ministry], but we have already spoken on this publicly several times," she said.

Zakharova expressed hope that the Finnish media "will be able to convey the Russian position to both the Finnish state and the Finnish public."

The diplomat also drew attention to the fact that Helsinki made a decision on the border situation "without consultations with Russian border guards or any <...> communication with the Russian side through any channels." "The condition of people who have to spend the night there literally in the field has worsened, in the current conditions and geographical location, I mean the cold, and, in general, minus temperatures and so on," she stated.

The spokeswoman pointed out that "everything has a practical solution, some reasoning behind it." "Perhaps <...> this is about the pressure that is being exerted on Helsinki," she added.

Situation on the border

On the night of November 18, Finland closed four border posts on its eastern border: Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala. According to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the authorities are reacting to the influx of "third-country nationals" to the eastern border of Finland, which has recently increased. As Interior Minister Mari Rantanen explained, the decision is valid until February 18, 2024.

The Helsingin Sanomat newspaper reported earlier that the Finnish government was ready to close the entire border with Russia as early as Tuesday - at least for asylum seekers. On November 20, the newspaper Iltalehti quoted sources as saying that the Finnish authorities planned to close the entire border with Russia on Wednesday night.