The leaders of Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria declared after a summit held in Helsinki that Russia is the most serious threat to security, peace, and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
Modern.az reports that the publication “Kommersant” disseminated information about this.
The final declaration of the summit stated that the eastern flank of the European Union and NATO is on the frontline of this threat, but the existing risk encompasses the entire European continent and requires urgent, coordinated steps. For this reason, the participants emphasized the importance of further strengthening the eastern borders of the European Union.
The leaders also called for increasing the European Union's defense capabilities, strengthening border security, and enhancing preparedness for potential crises. The final document noted that the protection and control of the EU's eastern external border cannot rely solely on the capabilities of individual countries and for this, a reliable, multifaceted potential must be formed through a comprehensive approach.
On the eve of the summit, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also stated in his remarks that if a peace agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow could direct its troops towards NATO's eastern flank. Considering this possibility, he called on European countries to increase the defense expenditures of “frontline states.”
