Finland: Europe Isn’t Strong Enough

By Staff, Agencies

Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin waned that “European countries would be in a dangerous place now if it were not for the role the US is playing in the Ukraine conflict.”

She also urged Helsinki's allies to ramp up efforts to build defense capabilities.

Speaking during a visit to Australia, the Finnish premier indicated that Europe is not well-placed to handle the current crisis alone. “I’ll be brutally honest with you, Europe isn’t strong enough. We would be in trouble without the United States involving [itself] in the war of Ukraine,” she said, pointing to the massive assistance Washington has been providing to Kiev.

According to Marin, Europe should do its best to become stronger: “We have to make sure we are also building those capabilities when it comes to European defense and the European defense industry.”

She also noted that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine had changed Helsinki’s political calculus “overnight.” In May, Finland and its Nordic neighbor Sweden submitted applications to join NATO. While the bloc indulged this request, the two countries’ bid has yet to be ratified by all its 30 members.