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Russia is a “permanent threat” to the EU, says Helsinki

by AI | 23.Dec 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Finnish Prime Minister said on Sunday that Russia is a “permanent threat” to the European Union, agreeing with the head of European diplomacy, who denounced a “direct threat.”

A Frontex official and a Finnish border guard stand near the closed Vaalimaa border crossing, between Finland and Russia, on December 7, 2023. The Nordic country, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, has experienced an increase in the number of undocumented migrants seeking asylum at its border with Russia (Photo: Alessandro RAMPAZZO / AFP)

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Helsinki – The Finnish Prime Minister stated on Sunday that Russia represented a “permanent threat” to the European Union, and emphasized the need to increase defense spending and continue support for Ukraine.

Petteri Orpo hosted a summit on security and immigration in Helsinki, attended by the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the Swedish, Italian, and Greek Prime Ministers.

“Europe’s defense must be strengthened by all possible means, we must explore all financial options,” Mr. Orpo told reporters after the meeting.

Ms. Kallas also stated that “Russia poses a direct threat to European security,” while noting that “security includes different elements.”

“We are seeing various hybrid attacks across Europe, whether it is sabotage acts, cyberattacks, dangerous ghost fleets, GPS jamming, or damage to cables (in the Baltic Sea, editor’s note), but also the militarization of migration,” Ms. Kallas said. (December 22, 2024)

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