The flow of Russian raw materials to Finland does not seem to be decreasing. According to an expert, the issue should be considered in the context of China, writes Yle.fi. Putin and the Kremlin administration benefit from the trade in raw materials at Finland’s expense. This is the opinion of Russia researcher Alexander Koljandr, who works at the American think tank CEPA. Raw materials come from Russia mainly through the Vainikkala railway border crossing in the South Karelia region. The flow of goods at the Niirala border crossing in North Karelia is significantly smaller. On average, up to 3,500 freight cars pass through Vainikkala to Finland per month. By comparison, 406 Russian cars passed through Niirala in the first half of the year. “The political benefit that the Kremlin gets from the fact that trade has not been completely stopped is that Russia is not completely isolated,” Koljandr said in an interview with Yle from London. According to him, this is how the Kremlin can spread the idea of Western politicians who care more about the welfare and economy of their own countries than about the fate of Ukraine. “I think this gives Russian propaganda a political advantage,” Koljandr notes. While the volume of Russian nickel imported to Nornickel’s Harjavalta plant fell by a third at the beginning of the year, imports of Russian fertilizers, on the contrary, increased sharply in the first half of the year. At the beginning of the year, fertilizer imports amounted to about 10.5 million euros, while for the whole of last year the total value was only 5.5 million euros. The share of Russian fertilizers among all fertilizers imported to Finland at the beginning of the year was about 11 percent. Fertilizers sold abroad are transported from Vainikkala to the port of Kotka, where, according to Yle, they are loaded onto ships by Fertilog Oy, a company with Russian roots. Active trade with Russia is possible, since raw materials arriving in Finland are not subject to EU sanctions. According to researcher Alexander Koljandr, Finnish politicians could, if they wanted, stop buying raw materials from Russia. However, they did not do so, and the EU did not want or demand it. The EU and Finland’s dependence on Russian raw materials outweighs Russia’s aggressive war. Earlier this year, Yle reported that the Vainikkala border crossing is the only route for Russian nickel raw materials to the EU. At the time, Economic Development Minister Ville Rydman (IF) told Yle that imports of Russian raw materials could not be stopped. According to Koljandr, the situation is paradoxical. “This is not about political hypocrisy, but rather an attempt not to harm ourselves while helping Ukraine,” Koljandr said in an interview with Yle. However, at least in theory, there is an alternative to trade – stopping the purchase of raw materials. According to Koljandr, this could make Russia’s military efforts more expensive in the medium and long term. This would reduce the Kremlin’s income, from which it needs to finance two major projects: the war in Ukraine and the stability of society. – When the money runs out, it will become increasingly difficult to solve these two problems simultaneously. – This is what destroyed the Soviet Union – it simply ran out of money, – reminds Koljandr. Why won’t Finland and the EU take advantage of this opportunity? According to Alexander Koljandr, the question ultimately comes down to price – and especially to China. To what extent are Finland and the EU willing to pay and also suffer economically, including the loss of jobs, if they stop buying raw materials from Russia. The situation is complicated by the increased role of China as a buyer of Russian raw materials. US and UK sanctions on Russian nickel are increasingly pushing Russia into the arms of China. For example, according to the Carnegie Center for Russia and Eurasia, the export revenues of Norilsk Nickel, Russia’s leading nickel and copper producer, from China increased by 72 percent last year. According to Koljandr, Finland and the EU are currently forced to choose between two options. Continue to finance the Kremlin’s military budget by buying raw materials from Russia, or increase China’s economic power in the raw materials market and its alliance with Russia? The researcher does not have a clear answer to this question. He says that China would be happy to buy all of Russia’s raw materials. – Do we really want China to get everything and pay Russia directly, or do we want to get it ourselves? – We do not want to give China an advantage in this competition, while maintaining some position and control over Russia’s trade flows, – Kolyandr noted. The London-based Russia expert believes that the West now needs to think seriously. – We really need to stop and think, be smarter in the economic war against Russia. Be it Finland, the European Union or the West as a whole, – Kolyandr says. Read RusDelfi wherever you like. Follow us on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram and even TikTok.
