President Sauli Niinistö and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. File Photo Lehtikuva.
The issue of Western sanctions on Russia is not on the agenda of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Finland, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
"The Russian side traditionally does not raise the issue of sanctions. This issue is not on our agenda ... Russia was not the initiator of this situation. We will not raise this issue (during Putin's visit)," Peskov was quoted by Russian news agency Sputnik as saying.
Peskov said that the exact date for Putin's visit to Finland has not been set but it is planned for this summer.
Since 2014, Western countries led by the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia, accusing Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and fueling the conflict in the country, which was rejected by the Russian government.
