Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo believes Ukraine must be equipped to match or exceed Russia’s capabilities because Vladimir Putin only responds to strength.
He said this in an interview with POLITICO, Ukrinform reports.
According to Orpo, Donald Trump should allow Ukraine to use America’s long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.
He said that Russia represents a “permanent threat” to European security and urged the U.S. president to grant Ukraine the weapons it needs to defend itself and bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
His comments came as Trump announced sweeping sanctions on Russian state-owned oil firms, in the most significant step he has taken as president to put pressure on Putin over the Ukraine war.
“Putin believes only in power,” Orpo said. “If we want to stop the war we have to be on the same level or even stronger” than Russia, he added.
When asked whether Trump should give Zelensky the missiles he has requested, Orpo said he hoped Ukraine “can get the capabilities that they need to [counter]strike Russia and defend themselves.”
“We know that this is a question between Zelensky and the United States and I really hope they can find a solution,” Orpo added.
The report notes that on Thursday, October 23, EU leaders in Brussels aim to make progress on a plan to raid Russia’s frozen financial assets for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine. One question is what sort of conditions the EU should attach to the loan, which could be worth as much as EUR 140 billion, enough to keep Ukraine in the fight for two or three years.
“This is not only a question of Tomahawks. If we can find a solution on how we can finance Ukraine strongly and find a long-term solution using frozen assets it will be so strong a message to Putin that he understands that he cannot win this war. This can be a game changer,” Orpo said.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the lengthy training period – from six months to a year – required for Ukrainian troops to master Tomahawk systems as a “problem” for their potential transfer.
The European Commission is expected to present in the coming weeks a proposal for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine, financed by frozen Russian assets, if EU leaders reach agreement on the matter at the European Council meeting on October 23-24.
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