Prime Minister Katainen: Finland is Not Neutral, NATO is an Option

Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki KatainenIn an interview published on Sunday in the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen reiterated the country’s stance that Finland is not a neutral country, even though it is not part of any military alliances.

He was indirectly responding to a statement about Ukraine made by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. . . .

Katainen said that he greatly respects Kissinger, but that he disagrees with some aspects of his proposal. The Finnish PM said that Kissinger still sees Finland as it was during the Cold War era, although it has been a member of the European Union for nearly 20 years.

The premier stressed that Finland has always kept NATO membership open as a option. Katainen denied that the decision to stay out of the alliance is based on a desire to maintain good relations with Russia.

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Image: Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, (photo: Finnish Government)