RIGA - The Finnish Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) aims to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine by the end of this year, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who on Tuesday met with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze (New Unity), told reporters in Riga.
Valtonen indicated that it was neither Ukraine nor Ukraine's friends, but Russia who started the war. The Finnish foreign minister said that currently it is necessary to focus on two key objectives. First, to increase support to Ukraine so that it can not only wins on the battlefield, but achieves a strong position. Secondly, it is necessary to continue weakening the Russian economy. The Finnish minister noted that there is a legal basis to use on this issue, i.e., sanctions.
Valtonen stressed that Finland and the OSCE are ready to help Ukraine during the war, after a possible peace agreement and during the negotiations process.
Referring to the recent incidents in the Baltic Sea, the Finnish foreign minister said that Russia is using its "shadow fleet" to circumvent sanctions. She stressed that this is the main problem that the countries involved are working on.
The Finnish minister believes that whatever the conclusions of the investigation, whether it was deliberate damage, who was involved or whether a country was also involved, it is no secret that the Russian "shadow fleet" is a problem. Russia's war economy must be restricted, she concluded.
"We do not want the war in Ukraine to continue. Moreover, the shadow fleet is a threat to the environment. This winter has been relatively warm, which has helped us in many ways, not least because the Baltic Sea is not covered with ice," said Valtonen.
In her words, one can only imagine what rusting oil tankers could do, moving around in the bitter cold of winter. "The Baltic Sea region is particularly sensitive environmentally. Nobody in the world wants an oil spill," she added.
Valtonen underlined that the Russian "shadow fleet" is a threat to critical subsea infrastructure, which is why countries need to become stronger together and a number of ways have been found to take concrete measures.
The Finnish foreign minister said that although Russia has managed to make some headway on the battlefield in the past months, it has not achieved any strategic objectives, while the slight advance has cost Russia many soldiers' lives. She concluded that Russia's losses are huge compared to the relatively small gains.
Valtonen noted that the Russian economy is in decline, but this should not be a reason to sit back and watch Russia decline. She is sure that this will happen, but many authoritarian states are ready to spend their last rouble not on the welfare of their people, but on funding their wars. The Finnish foreign minister stressed that this is why pressure on Russia must be continued and intensified, because the Russian people also deserve a future of democracy and peace.
As LETA reported, Valtonen arrived in Latvia on a working visit today to discuss with her Latvian counterpart current regional security issues, further support to Ukraine, the implementation of an effective sanctions policy against Russia, and the future of transatlantic relations.
The Latvian Foreign Ministry notes that since Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the Baltic Sea region has acquired a new outlook for cooperation, dominated by the region’s commitment to strengthening its security. The format of the Baltic States and Nordic countries (NB8) plays an important role in terms of security in the Baltic Sea and the defense of the Baltic airspace and territorial defense.
2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy