Häkkänen was commenting on a report by the German newspaper Bild about Russia’s demands for a new European security architecture, Bloomberg reported.
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The reported conditions included Finland’s withdrawal from NATO and the removal of alliance military bases from the Baltic states.“Even mentioning it is outrageous; Russia knows that,” Häkkänen said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, denied that Moscow had demanded Finland leave NATO. He said no such condition had been put forward or discussed.
Häkkänen said Russia was trying to test how willing the United States and Europe were to compromise on their positions. He linked the effort to the Nov. 10–11 talks in Abu Dhabi, saying Moscow was expanding its demands rather than demonstrating a willingness to pursue peace in Ukraine.
The minister also urged Western politicians not to fall for what he called a Russian bluff and to view such statements as part of Moscow’s long-running psychological strategy aimed at changing the terms of negotiations to its advantage.
Finland joined NATO in 2023, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the alliance has gained more than 1,300 kilometers of additional border with Russia.
According to Bild, Moscow’s demands also concern Moldova. Russia has proposed turning the country into a federal republic comprising Moldova, the autonomous region of Gagauzia and the breakaway region of Transnistria. If Moldova joins the European Union, Transnistria and Gagauzia would be allowed to hold referendums on independence.
In return, Russia has proposed withdrawing nuclear weapons from Belarus and abandoning plans to station intermediate-range missiles there. Moscow is also prepared to withdraw its troops from Transnistria, according to the report.
