Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo he said that from 14 December two of the eight border crossings with Russia will reopen. In November, Finland closed them all because it believed the Russian government was trying to destabilize the country by sending large numbers of migrants to the Finnish border. Russia has denied the accusations. The closure lasted two weeks as expected in the first announcements.
The open crossings will be those of Vaalimaa and Niirala, in the southern part of the border. They should remain open until at least January 14, but the Finnish government has nevertheless said it is “prepared to quickly reimpose restrictions”. During the closure period, the border could only be crossed by freight trains. Finland’s relations with Russia have worsened since the country joined NATO, a military alliance that includes the United States and most Western European countries.
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