Europe
EU’s Eastern Flank Starting Tangible Defense Work, Finland Says
Newly ercted fencing at Finland’s border with Russia at the Vartius border crossing.
Photographer: Allesandro Ram/AFP/Getty Images
Next week, a group of European Union countries closest to Russia will start work on concrete measures for how to boost the bloc’s defenses against their belligerent eastern neighbor, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.
Speaking in a radio interview on state-owned broadcaster YLE on Sunday, Orpo said the Eastern Flank Summit he is convening in Helsinki on Tuesday aims to agree on cooperation in building up defenses and a common stance within the EU for the group. Partaking in the meeting are leaders of Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria.