After the Special European Council, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated that the best strategy for peacekeeping now is to support Ukrainian forces. He also announced an initiative for faster access to funds from the Ukrainian EU fund.
As reported by Yle, Orpo said,
"Ukraine now has the strongest army in Europe. Supporting and equipping it is the best way forward."
According to the Finnish prime minister, over the three years of the war, the European Union has failed to provide Ukraine with sufficient support to repel Russian aggression.
He commented on the meeting in Paris of the chiefs of staff of European countries' armies, including Finland, who are potentially ready to participate in a European contingent in Ukraine as part of security guarantees initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"Macron's idea is for the military to come together and, relying on their professionalism, discuss a peacekeeping mission," Orpo said.
At the Brussels summit, EU countries did not promise a new aid package to Ukraine but agreed on faster access to funds from the Ukrainian fund, which holds €50 billion.
Orpo noted that the acceleration of the fund's usage was an initiative from Finland. Additionally, Finland is part of the "coalition of the willing," which includes about 20 countries from both the EU and beyond.
Many countries in this group are interested in providing security guarantees to Ukraine, but countries that share a border with Russia do not have such expectations.
Orpo also remarked, "The task of our military is to defend Finland. There is a great risk that soldiers from a country bordering Russia may find themselves in a situation where conflict could arise."
At the same time, he added that Finland could contribute if a peacekeeping operation were to take place.
