Finnish President Acts as US Vassal, Says Conservative Politician

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Finnish President Alexander Stubb cannot defy the US on the issue of his policy toward Russia, acting as its vassal, Armando Mema, a member of the Freedom Alliance national conservative party, told TASS.

"Stubb is nothing more than a 'US vassal'," he said. "The US ambassador to Finland is the de facto president of Finland, influencing the country's foreign policy. President Stubb cannot make any decisions on matters of foreign policy regarding Russia without prior consultation with the US ambassador to Finland," the politician emphasized.

He pointed out that the Finnish leader has repeatedly made political decisions aimed at pleasing American diplomats, and this situation is not likely to change anytime soon. "Finland is now a US satellite state," Mema noted.

The politician noted that following Finland’s accession to NATO, its policy has been geared toward supporting the alliance’s interests in the region, which is the main obstacle to restoring ties with Russia. "For a genuine dialogue to take place, it is necessary to understand this fundamental problem, which those who advocated for Finland’s accession to NATO do not understand," he stressed.

"He (Stubb - TASS) has always had [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin's phone number, and he knows that the moment he decides to call President Putin or makes any attempt to establish diplomatic relations with Russia, he will be fired from the US administration. This will prevent him from advancing his career in the future and taking the post of NATO Secretary General or another political position in the EU," Mema concluded.

Earlier, the politician told TASS that Stubb’s public statements about resuming dialogue with Moscow were made in response to growing public discontent in Finland. He pointed out that the country’s president continues to pursue a policy of pressure against Russia.