Finland's Defense Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have agreed to take part in the world-famous US-based Brookings Institution's Russian-themed research project titled, "Russia's Revisionism: Implications for the West". Both ministries are planning to split the cost, contributing 50,000 euros each.
Both ministries in question stressed, that the "Putin-study" bears no implications for the foreign policy.
"This is quite an ordinary international research project. Cooperation with the Brookings Institution has been underway for ten years," Charlotta Collén of Finland's Defense Ministry told evening newspaper Iltalehti.
Sini Paukkunen of the Defense Ministry's Planning and Research Unit stressed that the goal is to obtain a palette of views from "outside of the Finnish bubble."
Earlier, Talbott persisted in trying to put Finland up against Russia. In June 1997, Talbott met the then Finnish PM Paavo Lipponen at the White House, requesting that Finland provide military security guarantees for the Baltic countries together with Denmark and eventually even Sweden.
However, the Putin-study is not Finland's only Russia-related expenditure. Last week, the Helsinki newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet reported about a US-led exercise, which simulated a fictitious Russian invasion of the Baltics. This "writing desk exercise," organized by the American Center for a New American Security (CNAS), was actually held two months ago, whereas over 50 high-ranking officials from Europe and the United States partook.
Finland sent three representatives and shared the financial burden, contributing at least 31,000 euros, according to the Defense Ministry. The Foreign Ministry's share has not yet been accounted for.
