Much Ado About Nothing: Finnish FM Says Russia's Blacklist 'No Surprise'

Finland's Foreign Minister Timo Soini has denounced the brewing fuss over Russia's blacklist as "over-dramatized," stressing that the list is a logical response to the travel ban the EU had previously imposed on Russian civilians.

Finland's Foreign Minister Timo Soini underscored that it was "pointless to over-dramatize" Russia's travel blacklist, which has restricted a number of senior European political leaders from entering Russia, noting that a similar ban had already been imposed on Russian civilians by the EU.

"It's a predictable reaction to the travel ban placed on Russian citizens. It's no big surprise," the foreign minister wrote in his blog, as quoted by Yle, a Finnish media outlet.

Mr. Soini referred to Washington's and Brussels' initiatives to put a group of Russia's high-ranking citizens on a blacklist and prohibit them from travelling to the EU and the United States as a response to Russia's stance on the Ukrainian crisis and the reunification of Crimea with Russia.

Earlier, on Friday, Green League MEP Heidi Hautala, the only Finn on the Russian blacklist, noted that those that have been banned from entering Russia are EU policy-makers who actively opposed Moscow's position regarding the situation in Ukraine.

Mr. Soini emphasized that "Heidi Hautala has offered her own views on the list and I believe her comments are accurate and restrained, and I don't have anything to add."

Reportedly, on May, 28 the Kremlin handed the EU a list of 89 politicians who have been barred from travelling to Russia. The Russian side has been yet published the list, and Russia's Foreign Ministry is yet to confirm the authenticity of the list, which was released by European media sources.

According to some reports, about 8 politicians on the Russian blacklist are from Sweden and only one is from Finland.