ALBAWABA- Leaders from eight European Union countries on the bloc’s eastern and northern borders called on the EU to make the defence of its eastern flank a top priority, warning that Russia poses a long-term threat to European security.
Meeting in Helsinki on Tuesday for the Eastern Flank Summit, the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria agreed that Moscow remains “the most significant, direct and long-term threat” to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
In a joint declaration, they said Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine represents a “profound and enduring” danger to Europe as a whole.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who hosted the summit, said Russia would remain a threat “today, tomorrow, and in the foreseeable future,” stressing the need for credible deterrence along the EU’s eastern borders.
The leaders pledged to deepen defence cooperation and advance proposals for an EU-backed “Eastern Flank Watch,” a flagship project aimed at strengthening surveillance, rapid response, and border resilience through dedicated funding.
The summit highlighted growing pressure from frontline states for increased EU defence resources, amid reservations from some larger member states that prefer NATO-led or bilateral approaches. Ahead of next week’s EU summit in Brussels, the group is seeking commitments on joint military infrastructure, air defence systems, and measures to counter hybrid threats.
The meeting comes nearly four years into Russia’s war with Ukraine and amid heightened security concerns among eastern flank countries, many of which border Russia or Belarus.
Recent warnings from Finnish intelligence about Russian military build-ups and hybrid tactics, including the use of migration pressure, have reinforced calls for a more unified European response.
The leaders reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine and urged the EU to treat the defence of its eastern flank as an immediate and essential pillar of continental security.
