Finland Times

     "In some countries, there is at least an effort made to try to grasp Russian thinking," he said, in an interview with the social democratic newspaper Demokraatti, adding that making this effort helps understand Russian motivations.

     He expressed the view that for some European countries the United States is a kind of "informal opinion leader."

     The Finnish president also commented on the recent statement by British defence secretary Michael Fallon wherein he warned about the danger of Russia to the Baltic countries.

     "The minister went further than the Baltic themselves, and they as well have been considerably doubtful," Niinistö said.

     He pointed out that the highest value of the EU is peace and he wondered whether such a union could continue existing if it had not been able to secure peace in parts of its territory.

   Niinistö was interviewed on occasion of the 120th anniversary of the social democratic newspaper Demokraatti, the leading labour oriented newspaper in Finland. 

Meanwhile, in another interview, the president said he believes that Russia wants to destabilize Ukraine in such a way that there will remain a number of difficult issues open and unresolved, reported Yle quoting a Swedish daily.

The president in an interview with the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, published on Friday also said that the intention is clear: Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want Ukraine to become more tied to the West and the EU, said the Yle report.

Niinistö , however, said that he does not believe that Russia wants to expand its territory, the report added.