Sauli Niinistö
The President of Finland Sauli Niinistö explained the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza how to find a common language with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“It is best to speak directly to the forehead. I openly tell him what I think about politics (…) it is Impossible to leave unfinished business. You need to clearly say what you think. In the case of President Putin this works,” he explained.
The Finnish leader added that after the talks the Russian President “on what did not complain”.
“I met with President Putin many times. We are neighbors and should maintain contacts with each other,” — said Niinistö, noting that Helsinki is the most firmly advocated the retention of anti-Russian sanctions despite the fact that they “hit very hard on Finland.”
Member States of the European Union, USA and several other countries have introduced restrictive measures against Russia in 2014 and linking them with the annexation of Crimea, and then — with the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine. In response, Moscow imposed a ban on food exports from most countries, which supported anti-Russian sanctions.