Finland urges EU to invest more in defence to deter Russia

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has urged European nations to invest more in defence to deter the threat from Russia.

Source: Deutsche Welle, a German international broadcaster and media outlet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Valtonen stressed that she was ready to expect any course of action from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

"It's time for us to grow up. Putin is a dictator who only understands force," she said.

She believes that Germany and France are currently the primary targets of Russia's hybrid war against the West. Valtonen noted that the Kremlin is focusing on spreading disinformation there to reduce the level of support for Ukraine among the local population.

She also believes that EU countries will need to spend more on defence in the future than what NATO has set (2% of GDP).

"No one wants peace more than Ukraine. But if someone thinks that you can stop the war by stopping the supply of weapons, I can only say one thing: this will not lead to the end of the war, it will lead to the end of Ukraine," the Finnish foreign minister said.

Valtonen refrained from commenting on Germany's decision not to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons for deep strikes into Russian territory. However, she emphasised that international law does not prohibit attacks on military targets beyond one's own borders in self-defence.

Background: 

• Earlier, European intelligence services issued warnings that Russia had stepped up its sabotage operations.
• Recently, Valtonen urged Germany to let go of its illusions about Russia and previously warned of the danger that Western powers may grow fatigued with their support for Ukraine.

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