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Aggravation of Russia-West relations brings no benefit to any party — Finnish president

The Ukrainian crisis led to the situation when relations between Russia and the West became most tense from the "Cold War" period, says Sauli Niinisto
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto TASS/Alexey Druzhinin
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto
© TASS/Alexey Druzhinin

HELSINKI, November 10. /TASS/. The current aggravation of relations between Russia and the West brings no benefit to any party, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday.

“The (Ukrainian) crisis led to the situation when relations between Russia and the West became most tense from the "Cold War" period. This new "Cold War", I’d say, the "Cold War" of new type is a tendency that threatens to make our world more vulnerable for long time,” Niinisto said.

“We can’t avoid this, but we can mitigate the effects in some way. We gain nothing of such development of the situation that’s why we should try to stand against it,” he said.

The Ukrainian crisis has a negative impact on security in Europe and Finland, Niinisto said.

Finland’s security policy envisions good relations with the neighbouring states, including with Russia, and the development of close contacts with NATO, he said.

“As we consider the elements of our security an integral unit it is necessary to take care of finding a balance,” Niinisto said.