Peace of Moscow
The Peace of Moscow in 1940 ended the 105-day winter war between the Soviet Union and Finland .
It was signed on March 12, 1940 by the Soviet Union (represented by Vyacheslav Michailowitsch Molotov , Andrei Alexandrowitsch Schdanow , Alexander Michailowitsch Wassilewski ) and Finland (represented by Risto Ryti , Juho Kusti Paasikivi , Rudolf Walden , Väinö Voionmaa ) and signed on March 21, 1940 ratified.
Finland had to cede Karelia , the eastern part of Salla , the fishing peninsula and some smaller islands in the Gulf of Finland to the Soviet Union. In return, it was allowed to retain its independence and the Soviet Union ended efforts to annex the country.
background
On January 29, 1940, the Finnish government had already received the first peace conditions from the Soviet Union. Until then, the Red Army had fought to take Finland. Finland was to cede the Karelia region , including the city of Vyborg , and its part of Lake Ladoga . In addition, the Hanko peninsula was to be placed under Soviet control for 30 years; it was given up in the Continuation War in 1941 by the Soviet troops.
The Finnish government declined the offer and sent requests for military assistance to Sweden , the United Kingdom and France . With Finland hoping for the support of these states and the League of Nations, the peace negotiations began slowly.
Due to the lack of foreign aid, the situation of the Finnish army on the front worsened dramatically. On February 28, Ryti conferred with Commander-in-Chief Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , who stated that peace would have to be concluded very soon, if necessary under tough conditions, otherwise the fronts would collapse and annexation by the Soviet Union would be feared. Peace negotiations with the Soviet Union began on February 29, 1940. That day the Red Army launched an attack on Vyborg .