'Finlandization' Rankles Ukrainians Who Despise Russians

The crisis over Ukraine has pushed desperate officials in Western capitals to seek a diplomatic way to avert a Russian invasion but one Cold War option infuriates Ukrainians and other ex-Soviet Union republics, The Economist says in an analysis.

Photo Insert: French President Emmanuel Macron is greeted by Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ahead of their talks on the Ukraine crisis and its effects on Europe.

On his way to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, French President Emmanuel Macron was asked about one possible solution, “Finlandization,” a reference to Finland’s officially neutral status during the cold war. It was “one model on the table,” acknowledged Macron, but insisted diplomats would have to invent “something new.”

The news sparked anger in Ukraine and also in Finland, where the experience is not remembered fondly. How did “Finlandization” work in practice, and how might a similar status be applied to Ukraine?

The term refers to Finland's strict neutrality during the Cold War, enshrined in a 1948 treaty with Moscow when tensions between the Soviet Union and the US and its allies were threatening the world.

The term “Finlandization” was coined by the German political scientist Richard Lowenthal in 1961 in the wake of the Berlin crisis. It refers to the former policy of neutrality by non-Communist countries under the influence of the Soviet Union.

"Finlandization," originally a term of derision that eventually became a term of art, described Finland's status as a neutral buffer state that benefited the Soviet Union.

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