Delaying the introduction of new sanctions on Russia was Finland’s number one goal in negotiations on Monday, according to one prominent Finnish MP.
The President of the Assembly for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Ilkka Kanerva, told Yle that Finland had been keen for a pause in what he had previously described as a ‘sanctions spiral’.
“It was Finland’s number one goal, to have a bit of a looser timetable, to use our judgement and see how things look on a practical level in Ukraine in a couple of days,” said Kanerva.
Even though Finland has been cautious about damaging trade with Russia, Kanerva does not want his country to have a reputation as the main obstruction to new sanctions. At the same time, he says it’s important for Finland to have a distinctive voice.
“We do not just follow others, we have our own views on what is the most constructive way to resolve the crisis,” said Kanerva.
“Without doubt it was difficult at first to understand the original plan, that even though we had a ceasefire, although it’s a little wobbly at first, despite that we slap Russia with more sanctions straight away,” said Kanerva. “I couldn’t quite understand that. Thankfully now we have a couple of days’ breathing space.”
Kanerva has worked hard on resolving the crisis in recent weeks, meeting Russia's senior leadership in Moscow last week. He says that a resumption of full-scale fighting would have drastic consequences, and that a pause before new sanctions are enacted is wise.
“This political philosophy is the kind that says ‘we’ll show a card to indicate that this will follow, if the ceasefire isn’t observed’,” said Kanerva. “That is certainly politically sensible. But it’s not when we have a ceasefire in place and then straight away put new sanctions in place.”