Bild: Russia Demanded Finland Leave NATO in Peace Talks; Kremlin Denies It
German tabloid Bild reports that Russia demanded Finland's withdrawal from NATO during informal talks on ending the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denies it, while Finland's defense minister calls such proposals unacceptable.
The German tabloid Bild reported on November 13 that Russia had demanded Finland leave NATO, the North Atlantic military alliance, during informal talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The outlet did not say when or where the talks took place. The report bears on both the course of peace negotiations and security in the Baltic Sea region.
Russia officially denies it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he was not aware of any such proposal, that it was not put forward and that it was certainly not discussed.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen described Russia's demand for a reduced NATO presence in countries bordering Russia as a test of U.S. and European resolve during the negotiations. He said Russia wants European NATO members to limit their own activities to serve Russian interests, and that this is not negotiable. In his words, even suggesting such things is outrageous, and Russia knows it.
Other terms reported by Bild
Bild cites unconfirmed information that Moscow proposed Russia receive all of Donbas and keep the Ukrainian territories it occupies. NATO would agree not to set up military bases in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, while Ukraine would adopt nonaligned status, give up plans to join NATO and not use the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv as naval bases.
Russia is also said to be seeking freedom of navigation in the Black and Baltic seas and to demand that Moldova become a federal republic. If Moldova joins the EU, Moscow reportedly wants independence referendums allowed in Transnistria and Gagauzia.
In return, Russia would reportedly withdraw nuclear weapons from Belarus, refrain from deploying intermediate-range missiles there, and pull its troops out of Transnistria.
Finland's path to NATO
Finland joined NATO in April 2023, having applied soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Commenting on the decision, Vladimir Putin said Russia had had no problems with Finland before it was "dragged into NATO," but that now there would be. Finland has the longest land border with Russia of any NATO country, about 1,300 kilometers (810 miles).
