Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) will take participate in an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday. EU leaders are to focus on support for Ukraine and European security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will join them via video link.
"Ukraine's political, economic and military support are now more clearly Europe's responsibility," Orpo said in a government statement on Wednesday.
At the meeting, EU leaders will also discuss the financing of the bloc's common security and defence capabilities. On Wednesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a plan to allow EU countries to quickly, sharply increase their defence capabilities.
The Commission proposes borrowing up to 150 billion euros to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan driven by Russia's war in Ukraine and fears that Europe can no longer be sure of US protection.
"We have been and will continue to promote the idea that potential funding be directed specifically to frontline countries like Finland," said Orpo.
"No immediate military threat to Finland"
At a press conference with other cabinet ministers on Wednesday ahead of spring budget talks, Orpo said that he did not believe that defence spending would be increased in the short term despite pressure to do so from Nato.
"Solutions will be made in the near future. We must answer the call and show our allies and partners that Finland is ready and acting," he said.
Finland, which joined Nato nearly two years ago, is one of the alliance's top defence spenders in relation to GDP.
The premier stressed that "there is no direct, immediate military threat to Finland. He added that "the government is carefully looking at the overall picture, which includes defence spending" and that it will do "whatever is required to defend Finland".
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