HELSINKI, August 01. /ITAR-TASS/. Possible retaliatory sanctions from Russia against the European Union may negatively affect Finland, President Sauli Niinisto said on Friday.

“The spiral of negativity that seems to be dominating global politics between West and East, has never been to anyone's benefit and least of all for Finland,” Niinisto was quoted as saying by Finnish news agency STT-Lehtikuva.

He said it was possible Russia might take countermeasures that could directly affect the country.

As a member of the European Union, Finland cannot make any separate deals with Russia on sanctions-related issues, Niinisto said. It is important, therefore, for the European Union to maintain dialogue with Russia and to tell its leadership what kinds of actions from it are unacceptable, he said.

The president expressed concern about the increasingly deepening divisions between East and West.

“We are moving into a very negatively-charged atmosphere. Immaterial walls, at least, are forming in Europe between West and East,” he said.