1300 kilometers – that’s how long the border Finland has with Russia. The “turning point” that is being talked about in Germany is also beginning there. In this situation, the Federal President travels to Helsinki.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is traveling to Finland today, Friday, for a one-day visit. His talks are said to be primarily about the war in Ukraine.
Steinmeier is meeting with President Sauli Niinistö in the capital Helsinki this morning. The two heads of state also want to hear a video speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later in the Finnish parliament. A meeting with Prime Minister Sanna Marin is also planned.
Finland also feels threatened by the war in Ukraine. The country has the longest border with Russia of any EU member. It is around 1300 kilometers long. In Finland, as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine, there are intensive discussions about giving up the previous neutrality and becoming a member of NATO. According to the Federal President’s Office in Helsinki, Steinmeier wants to signal that Germany would support such a step.
At the alliance’s foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels last Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg encouraged Finland and Sweden, which is also neutral, to apply for membership. He promised a speedy positive answer. “If they decide to propose, I expect all allies will welcome them.” They have been working together for many years, and both countries meet the standards of the defense alliance.
Niinistö has not yet taken a clear position on his country’s possible NATO membership. From his point of view, however, the majority of Finland’s population supports accession. Niinistö stressed that Finland must coordinate closely with Sweden on this issue. Both countries would have to come to the same conclusion.
A planned visit by Steinmeier to the European Center of Excellence for Combating Hybrid Threats also has to do with Russia’s aggression. This is an institution supported by 31 EU and NATO member states, which has been providing analysis and advice on combating cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns or influencing elections, for example, since 2017.
Steinmeier sees Russia’s attack on Ukraine as confirmation of his thematic focus, in which the self-assertion of liberal democracies plays a central role. According to the Office of the President, the topic has now taken on a new dimension. The conflict between liberal democracies and aggressive autocracies has now come to light with an unprecedented sharpness. The question arises as to how one positions oneself in this debate, how the democracies could make themselves more defensive. Finland is an excellent first interlocutor for the debate on this.
The one-day visit to Finland is the Federal President’s first trip abroad in his second term of office. He actually wanted to do this in Poland, to emphasize the bond with his neighbor and to thank him for his great willingness to help in taking in Ukrainian refugees. However, this prevented Steinmeier’s corona infection. He wants to make up for the trip on Tuesday.
Source: Stern
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