Finnish foreign minister: Sanctions affect ordinary Russians, but we have no choice

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen admitted that the sanctions of Western countries affect ordinary Russians, but "we have to pay for waging war."

According to the minister, if the West stopped helping Kyiv, " Perhaps there wouldn’t be Ukraine, but there certainly would be a very empowered Russia," which, in her opinion, is hardly beneficial to neighbouring countries, The Washington Post reports.

“Yes, sanctions do hurt normal people. And in a country like Russia, it could easily say that it’s perhaps not fair because it’s not a normal democracy. People can’t really choose. But I don’t think we have a choice. Russia and the Russian people do realize that waging such an unfair and illegal war simply comes with a price. And it’s very important that we show that”.

Valtonen asked not to consider the aid given to Ukraine as charity.

“Aiding Ukraine is not charity. It’s standing up for the European way of life, in this case, Western values and of course, it’s the [country’s] sovereignty, territorial integrity, and those are the values that we share. What would happen if we let go of Ukraine or stopped helping them? Perhaps there wouldn’t be Ukraine, but there certainly would be a very empowered Russia. And I don’t think anybody benefits from that, especially not neighbouring countries,” she said.

She said the West would like "somehow Russia will become a peaceful normal democracy. I would claim that us in the West, we would not wish for anything simply more perhaps than that the ordinary Russian would have a say in the direction that the country is taking, that Russia would open up for civil society and become a normal democracy. But while hoping for that, we have to prepare for the worst and the worst is that Russia remains like it is and perhaps even worse in the future".