Breaking ice with Russia is the Finnish line as EU chief .

The Australian

It fought two wars and spent 60years resisting the icy grip of its giant neighbour. But Finland is now calling on members of the EU to make relations with Russia a priority and to coax Moscow into a warmer embrace with loans, know-how and dialogue.

After taking over the EU presidency at the weekend, Finland wants to make the Northern Dimension, the regional co-operation pact that binds Scandinavia with Russia, a model for EU co-operation with its neighbours.