Finnish PM: The door is open if Putin truly wants to talk peace
Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the EU should be ready for talks if Russia genuinely wants to discuss peace, though no such signs currently exist. This week Finland and Ukraine also signed a defense cooperation deal on drones.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has said the European Union should be prepared to negotiate if Russia and President Vladimir Putin genuinely wish to discuss peace. His remarks came in response to a possible invitation for Putin to attend a G20 meeting.
However, Orpo stressed that at present there are no signs of any genuine willingness from Russia to discuss peace. On the contrary, he said, Russia continues its killings in Ukraine, according to comments cited by Finnish broadcaster Yle.
Russia's actions have united Europe
The Finnish prime minister noted that the situation created by Russia has only brought Europe closer together, and that countries have been preparing for possible Russian actions throughout this period. He said it had been clear in Finland from the very start of the war that as the conflict escalated, various expressions of Russian aggression, provocations and hybrid influence would intensify.
Orpo emphasized that if anyone in Russia believes such influence could weaken European unity or the will to support Ukraine, the effect is exactly the opposite.
New cooperation agreement with Ukraine
This week Ukraine and Finland signed a so-called "drone deal" — an agreement on defense cooperation. Kyiv already has similar agreements with ten other countries. Orpo explained that the new agreement effectively consolidates and deepens cooperation that already existed between the two countries.
