Finland expresses its support for convening an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders to address the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo remarked in a speech delivered to parliament in Helsinki on Thursday. He underscored the necessity for Europe to actively participate in the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, as this engagement will be instrumental in shaping the future of peace on the continent.
Prime Minister Orpo noted that discussions concerning Ukraine are currently taking place without the EU’s active involvement, and he emphasised the importance of ensuring that “Europe’s voice is heard” in these matters.
He highlighted that the Russian economy is significantly smaller than that of Europe, being ten times less robust, and is under considerable strain from the sanctions imposed by the EU.
Consequently, he called for a concerted effort to strengthen Europe’s position, beginning with the upcoming Munich Security Conference on Friday and culminating in a unified and robust message from the forthcoming leaders’ summit.
The session of the Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) on Thursday was focused mainly on potential pathways to end the conflict in Ukraine. Throughout the debate, members of parliament voiced their concerns that the decisions regarding Ukraine’s future are being made unilaterally by Russia and the United States. Former Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen, who served under Sanna Marin from 2019 to 2023 and currently leads the Social Democratic Party (SDP) MPs’ group, drew a historical parallel, suggesting that the current circumstances facing Ukraine echo the sentiments surrounding the Munich Agreement of 1938.
