Pedro Sánchez in Helsinki: "Nothing protects us more than the strength of our Union"

Helsinki (Finland)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, holds a meeting with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo (Pool Moncloa /Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has travelled to Helsinki, where he met with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, with whom he discussed the bilateral relationship between the two countries, as well as key issues such as competitiveness and migration, European security and defence, and the conflict in Ukraine.

Pedro Sánchez highlighted the close relationship between Finland and Spain, underlining that both countries share values that are at stake today. He stressed that Finland's border, which represents more than half of the EU's entire border with Russia, is "our border", and that its security and defence are also "ours".

The president of the Government of Spain also highlighted the value of the NATO 2022 Summit in Madrid, which facilitated Finland's entry into the Atlantic Alliance almost two years ago, and said that, thanks to this, we are now stronger. Furthermore, he warned that, in a rapidly changing international order, it is essential to jointly offer confidence and certainty to the public.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, talks with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo | Pool Moncloa /Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Despite the 5,000 kilometres that separate Tarifa from Nuorgam, Pedro Sánchez has stressed that the two countries could not be closer. "Their concerns affect us as if they were our own. Because they are. Because any threat to one Member State is a threat to the European Union as a whole. Because nothing protects us more than the strength of our Union," he said.

Unconditional support for Ukraine

On Ukraine, the president of the Government of Spain welcomed Ukraine's acceptance of the US proposal for an immediate and provisional 30-day ceasefire, subject to simultaneous acceptance and implementation by Russia, and noted that Russian reciprocity is key.

The European Union is ready to play its part in the peace negotiations, as Ukraine's security is Europe's security. "This is an existential issue for Europe,"stressed Pedro Sánchez.

During the more than three years since the beginning of the war, Spain has provided fundamental bilateral support to Ukraine, being the fourth largest host country for Ukrainian citizens, with more than 230,000 refugees in Spain. Also with the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement, and the renewed commitment for 2025 of a new military aid package worth 1 billion euros, as well as the training of more than 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers in our country, as part of the EUMAM military training mission.

Commitment to European security and defence

During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed Europe's security and defence in the current geopolitical context.

The president of the Government of Spain reaffirmed Spain's commitment to strengthening European defence and stressed the need for joint financing to meet common security challenges. In this regard, he stressed that Spain is prepared to meet the investment target of 2% of GDP in defence, as well as the commitments acquired in the NATO framework, which Spain is amply fulfilling.

Furthermore, he reiterated that Europe's security must be tackled with a 360° approach, ranging from open conflicts to cyber-attacks, energy crises and climate catastrophes. "It does not matter whether the threats come from the North or the South, because Europe is capable of dealing with them all." In this context, he referred to the importance of meeting citizens' needs by boosting the dynamics of innovation and competitiveness of the defence industry. During their meeting, Pedro Sánchez and Petteri Orpo discussed the opportunities that exist for Finnish and Spanish companies in this field.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, greets the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb | Pool Moncloa /Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The visit to Helsinki ended with a meeting between President Sánchez and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, which allowed them to discuss in a broad sense the commitment to transatlantic relations, as well as the need to deepen the 360-degree vision of security and defence in Europe.

Non official translation