German FM points to Finland as example of resilience against Russia

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has praised Finland as a model for strengthening Europe's defence against Russia, highlighting the country's resilience and civil defence system ahead of talks in Helsinki focused on regional security and support for Ukraine, dpa writes.

"Finland's resilience and civil defence show us how we, too, can position ourselves even more effectively against threats," Wadephul said before beginning a two-day visit to Finland on July 15.

"Defence capability is not an abstract concept; it is a prerequisite for peace and security," he said.

Wadephul said Finland had adopted a comprehensive approach to security in which all sections of society played a role.

"We in Europe can learn from this experience to better arm ourselves against sabotage, cyberattacks or disinformation," he said.

During the visit, Wadephul is scheduled to meet Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen in Helsinki. The two ministers are also due to visit a border patrol vessel on Wednesday before travelling to the Finnish-Russian border on Thursday, according to Germany's Foreign Office.

Finland, which shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometres with Russia, has tightened security since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its accession to NATO in April 2023 made the frontier the alliance's longest land border with Russia.

Helsinki closed all land border crossings with Russia in December 2023, accusing Moscow of directing migrants to the frontier in an attempt to destabilise the country. In June, the Finnish government decided to keep the crossings shut, saying the risk of what it described as instrumentalised migration remained.

The restrictions do not apply to air or maritime borders. Finnish authorities have also reported a rise in incidents involving Ukrainian drones that accidentally crashed on Finnish territory, while maintaining that there is currently no direct military threat to the country.