The Finnish MOD chief, Antti Häkkänen, reminded the Western partners about the ongoing war in Ukraine for the future of the whole Europe.
How the Kremlin caused a sense of insecurity in Europe
According to the Finnish Defense Minister, the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the occupation of territories created a feeling of insecurity among European countries.
The year 2023 will go down in history in different ways. The war that broke out in Ukraine after the invasion of the Russian Federation in 2022 has been going on for the whole of last year. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight to it, the chief of Finnish MOD stated.
He also mentioned the conflict between Israel and the militants of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the Middle East.
Russia's power policy has created a sense of insecurity and uncertainty in Europe and, indirectly, throughout the world. We received a painful proof that a larger state can consider itself entitled to interfere in the choice of its smaller neighbor and is ready to use military force to achieve its own goals, Häkkänen emphasizes.
He emphasised that Ukraine is fighting for the future of all of Europe.
This is a question of fate - not only for Ukraine, but also for all of Russia's neighbors. "Ukraine is in a state of war for the future of all of Europe," Häkkänen said
Häkkänen also mentioned that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted Finland to abandon its neutrality, become a member of NATO, and enter into a defense cooperation agreement with the United States.
What do the other Ukrainian partners say
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, Grant Shapps, the world is returning to the threat of flourishing authoritarian regimes. Therefore, Western countries should not allow the victory of the criminal army of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
In a comment to journalists of the British edition of The Sunday Times, Shapps emphasised that there is a risk that the collective West will again miss the moment and allow dictatorial regimes to take hold.
Unfortunately, the world needs to realize that we cannot stay with (defense budgets) of the post-Cold War era. There are many countries, even G7 countries, that spend 1-2% of GDP on defense. We cannot ensure our prosperity and way of life by saving on our basic defense (needs), the UK Defense Secretary said.
Shapps called current defense spending insufficient, particularly in Great Britain, which wants to increase it to 2.5% of GDP.
During the competition for the position of leader of the Conservative Party, the UK Secretary of Defense spoke about the need to spend 3% of GDP, but he believes that even this may not be enough.
And I think the rest of the West will have to do the same... That's the reality of the much more dangerous world we live in. We must be clear about this. Providing support to Ukraine is not charity, Shapps emphasized.
