The European Union's chief executive said Finland's decision to close its border with Russia due to an influx of migrants is a security issue for the entire 27-member bloc.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made this statement during a trip to the border, visiting part of the border in southeastern Finland.
"We all know how [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his allies use migrants to test our defenses and try to destabilize us," von der Leyen said. - "Putin has now focused on Finland, and this, without a doubt, is a response to your strong support for Ukraine and your accession to NATO."
According to her, Finland acted "resolutely and successfully to confront this threat, it is not only about the security of Finland, but also about the security of the European Union."
In early April, Finland extended the closure of its land border with Russia indefinitely until further notice. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Finland explained the decision by the fact that Russia continues to send illegal migrants to the border.
Land border crossings on the border of Russia and Finland began to be closed by the decision of the Finnish authorities in November last year due to the influx of citizens of third countries, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, who arrived at the border points from the territory of Russia and requested political asylum in Finland.
Finnish authorities have accused Russia of deliberately encouraging foreigners to seek asylum in Finland in order to destabilize the situation in the country. Moscow denies that it uses migration to pressure Finland.
Russian-Finnish relations have sharply soured since the start of a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland abandoned the policy of neutrality and joined NATO. Moscow claims that this decision will not be without consequences
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