The Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin (37), believes that Russia’s war against Ukraine presents a number of strategic weaknesses and errors on the part of Europe.
– I have to be brutally honest: Europe is not strong enough to stand up to Vladimir Putin on its own. We would have been in trouble without the United States, according to Marin at the Australian think tank Lowy Institute AFP news agency.
Furthermore, Marin says that the United States has been instrumental in allowing the West to send weapons and supplies to Ukraine, which he believes is absolutely crucial for Ukraine’s progress.
The Prime Minister is now calling on Europe to strengthen its defense capabilities.
– We have to make sure that we develop this capability in Europe as well, strengthen the European defense industry and make sure we can handle different situations, he says.
Marin also acknowledges that Finland has misjudged the threat from Russia, which has received a number of warnings from countries such as Estonia and Latvia since joining the EU in 2004.
– Europe’s strategy has long been to establish economic ties with Russia. We thought this would prevent war. We should have listened to our Baltic and Polish friends much sooner.
