“Petteri Orpo believes that the combination of sanctions against Russia and financial support to Ukraine can change the situation on the battlefield”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“We have to find a solution on how to move forward, and I believe that we now have a realistic proposal on the table. We should give the European Commission a clear task to prepare a specific plan so that we can ensure stable financing of Ukraine in the coming years,” said the head of the Finnish government before the start of the summit in Brussels.
He emphasized that the combination of sanctions against Russia and financial support of Ukraine can change the situation on the battlefield.
“Sanctions against Russia and strong financing of Ukraine together can become a turning point. This can be a game changer,” the prime minister believes.
According to him, Finland supports the adoption of the 19th EU sanctions package and considers it important that the new restrictions are accompanied by the US decision.
“I am glad that we adopted the 19th package of sanctions. Together with the US decision to introduce additional sanctions against Russia, this is a strong signal. I am sure that this joint pressure will hit Moscow hard,” he said.
The head of the Finnish government also confirmed that Helsinki takes seriously Belgium’s concerns regarding legal and financial guarantees within the compensation mechanism:
“We take the Belgian reservations very seriously. The decision must be legally justified. We are ready to share the risks, and I think that the decision is close.”
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He added that the use of frozen Russian assets is a morally correct step:
“We have two options. One is to use frozen Russian assets, which is correct, because this is Putin’s money, which destroyed Ukraine. Another is to spend money from our own budgets. But we lack resources,” he explained.
The prime minister also called for strengthening the common European defense, adding that Russia “is and will remain a constant threat” to the European Union, so Europe has “about five years to strengthen its defense.”
As Russia continues its relentless attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure, EU leaders will discuss concrete steps to increase support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to seek peace.