Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Finland’s support for Ukraine would not go unanswered by Moscow. Zakharova said Russia would inevitably respond to every hostile step from Finland in line with its national interests.
Arguing that Helsinki had become one of Ukraine’s main supporters since 2022, Zakharova said Finland had provided Kyiv with more than 4.6 billion euros in financial and material assistance. She noted that approximately 3.4 billion euros of this amount consisted of weapons and ammunition.
Moscow’s accusations against Helsinki
Zakharova alleged that Finland’s policy toward Ukraine aimed to inflict the greatest possible damage on Russia on the battlefield, secure Russia’s strategic defeat and place Ukraine in a stronger position during the process of resolving the conflict.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said this approach was harmful to the Finnish people and reflected a lack of historical memory. Zakharova also argued that Helsinki’s policy was incompatible with international law.
Debate over neutrality and the Hague Convention
Zakharova alleged that Finland, like other Western countries, had violated its responsibilities under the 1907 Hague Convention concerning the rights and duties of neutral states and individuals in land warfare in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
Zakharova said Finland could not expect Russia to respect the rights it might have enjoyed as a neutral party in the conflict, claiming that by providing extensive military assistance to Ukraine, Helsinki had come close to becoming legally complicit in the unlawful use of force against Russia.
Warning that Finnish weapons could become targets
Zakharova said Finnish weapons that crossed into Ukraine would automatically become legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces. She said Russia would continue its efforts to achieve the objectives set by the country’s leadership in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
