Finland's appeal: The EU must help countries on NATO's eastern flank
Photo. 1 Mazurska Brygada Artylerii im gen. J. Bema/Facebook
Reaching a peace agreement in Ukraine would be equivalent to the redeployment of Russian armed forces to NATO’s eastern flank, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated.
According to the Finnish Prime Minister, the European Union must urgently increase defense spending among the countries on NATO’s eastern flank. In Orpo’s view, a peace deal concerning Ukraine would automatically redirect Russian troops closer to nations such as Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Poland.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Finnish Prime Minister said: “We know that even when peace comes to Ukraine, Russia will still pose a threat. It is obvious that it will move its armed forces closer to our border and the Baltic border. (…) It is clear that we need financial support from Brussels.” According to the outlet, countries on the eastern flank may seek additional support from approximately €1.5 billion in unused EU funds allocated for military projects.
The Finnish leader’s remarks come at a significant moment. On Thursday, a European Union leaders’ summit will take place in Brussels. One of the main topics of discussion will be continued support for Ukraine, including the potential use of frozen Russian assets.
On Tuesday, December 16, Finland hosted the first-ever summit of NATO’s eastern flank countries. The Eastern Flank Guard Initiative brought together Finland, Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria. The project aims to strengthen the collective defense of these nations—across virtually every domain, including air, maritime, and cyber defense.
