Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has expressed concern that relations between Russia and the west could be deteriorating.
Niinistö told the Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet that Vladimir Putin’s first two terms as president saw an embrace of western values, but that times had apparently changed. The apparent shift could also have implications for Finnish-Russian relations, according to Niinistö.
The president says that the European Union could also consider whether Russians might have a point when they complain of a high-handed "take it or leave it" negotiating style from EU representatives.
In the worst case scenario, Niinistö says a permanent estrangement between the two sides is possible. According to Niinistö the west cannot simply tell Russia off for bringing in homophobic legislation, as activists have done since a new law on "homosexual propaganda" was passed this year, but must instead work to fight the attitudes and culture that lie behind the law.