How would your country react to if Finland applied to be a NATO member? The same afternoon, it would be a wonderful thing. I think that, Finland and Sweden, if these two countries decided to join NATO, it would be good for Northern European security.
#Finland #Baltics #Russia #Ukraine #NATO
I think we're mixing two things up. Escalation can only happen through perceived weakness. If Putin wrongly perceives that any one of the border countries is somehow weak or more vulnerable than any other country, theoretically that could lead Russia to make some bad decisions. When we are strong, this is what Putin understands, and Finland has fantastic defensive forces. It's the envy, I think, of many countries. Certainly, our military is modelling our defensive plans, so taking into account how Finland has been doing it, for years. But, at the same time, if Finland were part of NATO, then it would be no questions asked: you have the full might of 30 other countries at your back and that would be a very clear signal to Putin to not at all to think in this direction. So when we think of escalation, we in the Baltics, in Latvia, we understand and we also feel the hesitancy, but we are convinced that that for our country it was the best decision, in terms of our security, that we have made and we think that if Finland were to decide that, we would have completely open arms and I think it would be good for regional security because it would bring complete clarity. We are all in the same boat.

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US President Joe Biden is joining EU leaders during the first day of the European Council for a discussion on support for Ukraine and its people and on strengthening transatlantic cooperation in response to Russia’s aggression.

Regarding to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the European Council assesses the latest developments on the ground, including the humanitarian situation and refugees.

Furthermore, The European Council discusses security and defence, building on the Versailles declaration and taking into account the new security situation in Europe. In this context, EU leaders exchange views on how to enable the EU to act more quickly and decisively when facing crises, while also securing its interests and protecting citizens. They also discuss defence investment and funding instruments. The European Council is also expected to endorse the Strategic Compass, an initiative aiming at strengthening the Union’s security and defence policies around the themes of crisis management, defence capabilities, resilience and partnerships.

Following the agreement in Versailles to phase out dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal imports, they discuss sustained high energy prices and its impact on citizens and businesses, also in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Commission provides a basis for the discussion by putting forward options for ensuring affordable energy prices and security of supply.

The European Council continues its discussion on how to build a more robust economic base, as laid out in the Versailles declaration, notably by reducing strategic dependencies in sensitive areas like critical raw materials, semi-conductors, health, digital and food. EU leaders address how to further strengthen the single market to accelerate the green and digital transitions, as well as how to strengthen the resilience of the EU economy.

Finally, they focus on coordination efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and take stock of international cooperation on global health governance and solidarity, including through roll-out of vaccines, and discuss the work, under the guidance of the WHO, on a future instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

EU leaders meet on 24 and 25 March 2022 in Brussels. On day 2, the European Council discusses security and defence, building on the Versailles declaration and taking into account the new security situation in Europe, and sustained high energy prices and its impact on citizens and businesses, also in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Council also continues its discussion on how to build a more robust economic base, discusses coordination efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and takes stock of international cooperation on global health governance and solidarity, including through roll-out of vaccines.