Earlier in the day, the Finnish Ambassador in Moscow, Antti Helantera, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and issued a strong protest in connection with the detention of cultural property belonging to Russian museums by the Finnish customs authorities as they were being driven back from an exhibit in Italy.
"Sanctions against Russia were imposed at such a rapid pace that all situations were not taken into account. I hope that this can be resolved promptly," Haavisto told Finnish broadcaster Yle at a NATO meeting in Brussels.
He added that Finland "has no reason to withhold items from any museum."
The museum cargo consisted of three batches which were detained from April 2-4 as qualifying for EU sanctions. It included paintings, sculptures and antiques protected by state immunity.