 By mid @-@ February , it became clear that the Finnish forces were rapidly approaching exhaustion . For the Soviets , casualties were high , the situation was a source of political embarrassment to the Soviet regime , and there was a risk of Franco @-@ British intervention . Furthermore , with the spring thaw approaching , the Soviet forces risked becoming bogged down in the forests . The Finnish foreign minister Väinö Tanner arrived in Stockholm on 12 February and negotiated the peace terms with the Soviets through the Swedes . German representatives , not aware that the negotiations were underway , suggested on 17 February that Finland negotiate with the Soviet Union . 
