Countries of NATO's Eastern Flank Hint That It Would Be Good to Throw Some Money Their Way

The Prime Minister's advisor Anna Udre informed the LETA agency that Siliņa participated in the summit of leaders of the eastern flank countries of the European Union in Helsinki along with the heads of state and government of Finland, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Siliņa stated that Russia poses a long-term threat to European security, and the countries of the eastern flank feel it particularly acutely. "We guard the external border of the EU and NATO on land, in the air, and at sea every day, while simultaneously facing hybrid threats and sabotage attempts," the Prime Minister emphasized.

The agenda of the summit included issues of regional security, assessing the long-term threat posed by Russia to Europe, and discussing practical areas of cooperation within the EU and NATO. Special attention was given to strengthening the eastern border of the EU and NATO, developing defense capabilities, air and drone defense, enhancing military mobility, as well as strengthening civil and military resilience.

During the summit, the countries of the eastern flank adopted a joint declaration in which the leaders agreed to continue strengthening the eastern flank of Europe on land, in the air, at sea, in cyberspace, and in space, as well as to continue increasing defense investments with close coordination of actions within the EU and NATO.

At the summit, Siliņa emphasized the importance of strengthening the security of the EU's external border, including the protection of land borders and critical infrastructure, developing air and drone defense, as well as enhancing military mobility.

The leaders also reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression, emphasizing that Ukraine's security is an integral part of Europe's security.

At the meeting, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called on Europe to allocate more funds for the defense of frontline states, as reported by the Financial Times. The publication reminded that Finland is one of the few countries in Europe that has not lowered its vigilance regarding Russia. However, it has also suffered from more than a decade of economic decline, which forces the government to cut public spending due to rapid debt growth.

"Our economy is currently in very poor condition. This is due to the threat from Russia. The atmosphere in Finland is very complicated," Orpo added.

According to him, the countries of the eastern flank are interested not only in the 1.5 billion euros of unused European funds for military projects but also in a significant portion of the approximately 130 billion euros that the EU has allocated for defense in the next budget period.