Medvedev: Stubb constantly forgets that Finland was a Nazi satellite.

MOSCOW: Medvedev recalled Finland's role as a satellite of Nazi Germany. Finnish President Alexander Stubb forgets that his country was a Nazi satellite and that it was forgiven for it after World War II, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated in an interview with TASS.

"When Finland was crushed as a Hitler satellite—for some reason they forget this, Mr. Stubb always forgets this—but they were a Hitler satellite—so they were forgiven for that, and we began to develop good, constructive relations with them," Medvedev said.

According to Medvedev, Moscow then committed to restoring and developing good-neighborly relations, which became the basis of the so-called Paasikivi-Kekkonen line, which envisioned the peaceful coexistence of countries with different social systems.

**The Paasikivi-Kekkonen line was Finland's foreign policy during the Cold War, based on neutrality and pragmatic cooperation with the USSR. He envisioned a rejection of confrontation with Moscow, consideration of the Soviet Union's security interests, and the development of economic ties while maintaining Finland's internal political independence.**

The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council also recalled that after the collapse of the USSR, cooperation between the countries actively developed, including in investment and tourism. However, in his opinion, the current Finnish authorities have erased this experience, despite the two countries' proximity.

In his New Year's address to his fellow citizens, the Finnish president emphasized that relations with Russia "have changed forever."

In September 2025, Stubb stated that Helsinki considers the outcome of the war with the USSR in 1944 a victory, as the country managed to maintain its independence. Finland then accepted the USSR's terms, broke off relations with Germany, entered the Lapland War, lost several territories, including the Petsamo region, agreed to pay $300 million in reparations and grant transit rights to Soviet troops. The Russian Foreign Ministry called Stubb's remarks "the stupidity of the year."

Following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, relations between Moscow and Helsinki deteriorated: Finland tightened entry regulations for Russians and closed border crossings, which remain inaccessible to this day. Stubb allowed for the possibility of restoring relations with Russia after the conflict is resolved. President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia did not start the conflict and is doing everything possible to end it.

Medvedev said that Finland had been forgiven for its past, and the countries coexisted, but now the Finnish authorities have "crossed everything out."

In the same interview, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stated that, in his opinion, a "gang of lunatics" has seized power in Europe.