Finnish PM Sanna Marin stated that the Baltic nation has great sympathy for Ukraine because Finland knows what it feels like to be at war with Russia.
In a fresh development, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated that the Baltic nation has great sympathy for the war-ravaged Ukraine because Finland knows what it feels like to be at war with Russia. While speaking to ABC News, Marin stated that Finland has a long history with Russia, and now that they are becoming a part of NATO, the nation no longer wants to see war on Finnish soil by Russia. She also stressed on the importance of US support for Europe in the view of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“We also have a long history with Russia, and now we’re joining NATO because we don’t want to ever again see war on Finnish soil by Russia,” she said.
Slamming Russia over war in Ukraine, the Finnish PM said that the action of Russian soldiers is “brutal” as they are “brutally attacking Ukraine and its people, especially the civilians.” Since the start of the Ukraine war, Finland has been at the forefront of condemning Russia’s action, and on several occasions, it has also called for further sanctions against Moscow.
Earlier, Finland and neighbouring Sweden had formally applied to join NATO in May 2022, but they are yet to become a part of it as the decision is still awaiting the final agreement of all member nations. Marin stated that Finland asked for the protection of NATO but also intends to make contributions. “We are also protection givers; we are not takers,” she said.
“We want to make sure that we are under NATO Article Five, that we have that common shield also working for us,” she further noted, “but we are also protection givers; we are not takers.” “We will enhance NATO capabilities.”
Finland PM says Europe is ‘not strong enough’ without US support
Meanwhile, the Finnish PM also called for Europe to strengthen its own defence capabilities in view of the ongoing war in Ukraine, saying that without the US, a strong defence would not be possible. “We should make sure that we are stronger. And I’ll be brutally honest with you: Europe isn’t strong enough. We would be in trouble without the United States,” she added.
These remarks were given by Marin in Sydney, where she visited to discuss trade over a free trade agreement between the European Union and Australia. While responding to a question about China’s role in convincing Russia to stop the war, she responded, by saying that China could play a role but “we shouldn’t only rely on that.” She also called on the western nations to support Ukraine and said the war-torn nation must be provided “whatever it takes” to defeat Russia in this war.