Finland rejects Russia's NATO exit demand as 'absolutely outrageous'

Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen called Russia's reported proposal for Finland to leave NATO "absolutely outrageous" and said such demands cannot be subject to negotiations, responding on Friday, November 13. Häkkänen stated Russia is testing Western readiness to make concessions and expanding its demands beyond the Ukraine war to reshape European security architecture. He urged Western politicians not to fall for what he called Kremlin bluff tactics. The Kremlin denied making such a demand. Finland, which shares over half of NATO's land border with Russia, joined the alliance in 2023 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.