Quotes Professor Konstantin Sonin
January 05, 2025

With the war in Ukraine soon to enter its fourth year, Newsweek considers how one possible resolution to the conflict could look something like the Soviet Union's relationship with Finland after its 1939 invasion. While Finland remained independent after that conflict, it was demilitarized and brought under the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. The article draws similarities between the two conflicts, separated by 80 years, with input from Dr. Konstantin Sonin. He adds, 

The problem with the Finlandization of Ukraine is not Ukraine—it's Russia. The Finlandization of Ukraine is exactly what was tried between 1991 and 2014 in some sense. Until 2022, Russia had enormous influence over Ukraine—perhaps more than the Soviet Union had over Finland. If Ukrainians would be asked, 'could we go back to 2020 and somehow have a guarantee that Russia would not do what it did in 2022?' hypothetically they might have agreed to this.

Read the full article here

Konstantin Sonin
Faculty Spotlight

Konstantin Sonin
John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor

Konstantin Sonin, John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor at Harris Public Policy, is a frequent columnist on Russian political and economic issues in addition to his academic work in political economics, development and economic theory.