Finland may shut entire Russian border, foreign minister says

FILE PHOTO: A car is seen at the border between Russia and Finland at the Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Lappeenranta, Finland, November 16, 2023. Lehtikuva/Vesa Moilanen via REUTERS/File Photo

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland is considering closing some of the four remaining crossing points on its frontier with Russia or even the whole border if a flow of asylum seekers from its neighbour continues, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told Reuters on Wednesday.

In November, more than 600 people without valid travel documents to the European Union have come to Finland via Russia, prompting Helsinki to shut several crossings and accuse Moscow of funnelling migrants. The Kremlin denies the charge.