On Monday, the top Finnish diplomat said that Western sanctions "do hurt ordinary people" and that Russians realize that "waging such an unfair war comes with a price."
"I am surprised at how quickly Finland has trampled on its neutral status and reputation and joined the anti-Russian project of the United States ... The [Valtonen's] statement is absolutely boorish. I would like to emphasize once again that Finland is moving by leaps and bounds to the forefront of the West's anti-Russian, Russophobic campaign," Lavrov said at a joint press conference after a meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar.
Lavrov also said that Valnonen was "an inexperienced diplomat" speaking about the reasons for imposing the Western sanctions, adding that the Finnish foreign minister "wanted the Russian people to rise up against their own government."
Finland and Sweden, after the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, submitted applications in May 2022 to join NATO. Finland became the 31st NATO member on April 4, 2023. Sweden's application has not yet been approved by Hungary and Turkey.