The Minister of Defense of Finland Anti Hakkanen did not give a direct answer to the question about the possible opening of checkpoints on the border with Russia in the fall.
"Ministers responsible for security, interior and defense are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. Then, if there are grounds for it, the situation is put up for consideration for a decision. The border issue is within the competence of the Minister of the Interior. “We are working closely together”, Hakkanen answered a question from journalists from the television channel MTV3 about the possible opening of the border crossing in the fall.
The Finnish government closed road checkpoints on the border with the Russian Federation in November 2023, citing an uncontrolled flow of refugees from third countries. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that such a decision by Finland creates new dividing lines in Europe, Moscow's response to these actions will be developed in an interdepartmental format.