Russia is preparing for long conflict with West, - Finnish Prime Minister Orpo
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that Russia is preparing for a prolonged conflict with the West, calling on European countries to increase defence spending and improve coordination in this area.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Voice of America.
Speaking in the European Parliament on Wednesday, Orpo stated: "It is clear that Russia is preparing for a prolonged conflict with the West and is a constant and significant military threat to Europe."
"If we, as a united Europe, fail to respond sufficiently to this challenge, the coming years will be full of dangers and marked by the threat of an impending attack," the Finnish Prime Minister said.
"Russia is not invincible," Orpo said. He called on the 27 EU countries to increase defence spending, stressing that the bloc must take care of its defence on its own.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO a "ridiculous step" and said that Russia would deploy troops and military equipment near the Finnish border.
