Finland defense minister calls for burden sharing on defense and Ukraine, for the sake of European unity
Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said European countries should commit at least 0.25% of GDP in support of Ukraine, which Kyiv has identified as the right percentage to keep it financially afloat.
Helsinki, Finland — According to Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen, no nation within Europe should avoid its duty to allocate funds for defense spending and provide financial aid to Ukraine. During an interview with journalists in Helsinki, Hakkanen asserted that if Russia manages to find a "political opportunity" to strike at Europe, it can challenge our shared European values.
He emphasized that this threat extends beyond Ukraine. Recently, Finland has substantially increased its defense budget, become a significant contributor to Ukraine, and further integrated into NATO, which it joined in 2023.
While Hakkanen maintains an independent assessment of the threat posed by Russia, he perceives no distinction between Finland's security interests and those of Europe as a whole. He noted that Finland's analysis, being a neighboring country with a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia, is highly valued by many European allies. Hakkanen now aims to ensure that the entire European community is united in supporting Ukraine's financial and military needs, which are continually growing.
Ukraine faces two primary challenges: securing financial resources and enhancing air defense capabilities. Hakkanen stated that Europe is currently devoting no more than 0.2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to supporting Ukraine, sometimes even less. He believes that countries should adhere to a pledge to allocate 0.25% of GDP towards Ukraine's support, a figure that Kyiv deems sufficient to keep the nation financially stable. Some countries, such as Estonia and Lithuania, have already committed to this percentage.
Hakkanen cautioned that if Europe fails to bolster its defenses, Russia's increasing hybrid attacks on the continent could lead to chaos throughout Europe. Moreover, he pointed out that Belgium and Spain, among other countries, are among the lowest spenders on defense as a percentage of GDP. Hakkanen stressed that Europe's exclusion from certain peace talks with Russia underscores that if Europe remains weak, it will not have a seat at the table.
Hakkanen posed a crucial question to the journalists, asking, "If we are not doing this together, what is the point of European unity?"
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
