Finland Rejects Reported Russian Demand to Leave NATO in Ukraine Talks

According to sources cited by Bild, Russia has made a series of far-reaching demands at trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US this week.

The Russian delegation is said to have demanded that all occupied territory be recognized as Russian, that the rest of Donbas be recognized as Russian, that Ukrainian port cities be demilitarized, and that Ukraine be banned from joining military alliances.

The delegation is also said to have demanded that NATO close all its military bases in the Baltics and that Finland leave the alliance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denies that Russia has demanded that Finland leave NATO. The Finnish government also says it was not told that the issue had been discussed at the trilateral talks.

“Such things are not subject to negotiation at all. Russia knows that,” Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said, according to Yle.

However, Häkkänen adds that Russia has made such demands before. He points out that Russian representatives have raised the tone in an attempt to push the boundaries in the negotiations and get demands that go beyond Ukraine through.