Finland has given a clear signal of its intentions to join NATO “without delay”. Photo: EFE/Anatoly Maltsev.
Russia power supply will be suspended on Saturday due to payment problems in Finland, during a period of growing tension between the two countries due to the Nordic country’s rapprochement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are forced suspend the importation of electricity from May 14, ”operator RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian state group InterRAO, based in Helsinki, said in a statement.
RAO Nordic said it had “imported electricity from Russia to Finland and sold it to the Nord Pool for many years,” noting that sales made since May 6 had not yet been credited by funds in the company’s bank account. .
“This situation is unique and it happened for the first time in over twenty years of the history of our business, ”the company said, noting that due to lack of monetary revenue it could not pay for electricity imported from Russia and was forced to cut off supply.
“We hope that the situation improves soon and the power trade with Russia can continue,” he added.
Inter RAO is the only operator of electricity import and export in Russia, and its main customer in history is Finland. In 2021 alone, Russia supplied the neighboring country with 8.2 billion kWh out of a total of 21.77 billion kWh exported.
For its part, the Finnish electricity network operator ensured to do without importing electricity from Russia.
“We have prepared for it and it will not be difficult. It will be managed by a few more imports from Sweden and Norway,” Timo Kaukonen, head of operations at operator Fingrid, told AFP.
The announcement of the reduction of electricity imports to Russia came a day after the Finnish president and prime minister declared themselves in favor of joining NATO “without delay”, and indicated that the country’s decision Scandinavia will inform the organization next Sunday.
“NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security. As a NATO member, Finland will also strengthen the Alliance as a whole,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement.
Although the Finnish Parliament has not yet given its opinion, the announcement means that Finland will almost certainly submit its application, and it will be accepted. Sweden is also studying the possibility of applying to join the military alliance.
The immediate response came from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which warned that Russia “will be forced to take retaliatory measures of a military-technical nature and otherwise to counter emerging threats to its national security ”.
Source: Clarin
