Putin congratulates Finland’s Niinisto on presidential win

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Finnish leader Sauli Niinisto, who won the country’s presidential election on Sunday. Niinisto, a moderate, 69, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote in the first round. The closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured 12.4 percent. The election results reflect the broad support of the citizens of Finland for the course pursued by Niinisto, Putin said Monday. According to him, largely thanks to Niinisto’s efforts, the relations between Russia and Finland are developing in a constructive and neighborly manner, the Kremlin said. Putin also confirmed his readiness to continue working together to further build up the entire range of Russian-Finnish relations, TASS reports.