In an interview today, Katainen expressed his wish that all parties would strive to calm the situation in Ukraine, which he described as “very worrying”. Uncertainty over who is actually involved in the conflict also complicates the solution.
“Everyone just needs to keep a cool head. I hope that all parties, Russia included, will work towards calming the situation,” said Katainen.
The PM says that Finland can only affect the events through its role as a member of the European Union, as individual countries have no mandate to act, citing as an example the lack of a need for Finnish peacekeeping forces.
“It is essential that Finland acts as one with the EU. There is no point in making this into a race about who takes a stand and speaks out first. That’s the last thing that is needed in this scenario,” he said.