Restrictions on strikes deep inside Russia ridiculous – Finland’s president

Ukraine’s partners should remove all restrictions on the use of Western weapons against targets located in the territory of the state that continues to commit war crimes.

This was stated by President Alexander Stubb of Finland, who spoke at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Calling out these restrictions as ridiculous, the president recalled that it is Russia that is waging an illegal war of aggression, violating international norms, not only in terms of violating sovereignty but also in terms of committing grave war crimes.

According to Stubb, he would like to call Washington and ask the USA to remove all restrictions on the use of weapons on Russian soil, as well as call China and ask Xi Jinping to convey to Putin: "It's enough." If this happened, the situation could change, the politician is convinced.

According to Stubb, in the short term, partners should help Ukraine with funding, weapons, and ammunition, so that the nation is able to prevail strategically and militarily on the battlefield. The Finnish leader recalled that his country ranks 6th in terms of aid to Ukraine (share to own GDP(. He called supporting Ukraine natural for the Finns, who themselves previously became victims of Russian/Soviet aggression, losing 10% of their territory during the Second World War.

The president called not to lose focus amid the complexity of the situation at the front as the biggest battle underway is that for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and rightful place in the West; and Ukraine has already won this battle, Stubb believes. Ukraine will become a member of the EU and it will become a member of NATO, Stubb emphasized.

The president noted that Putin's first goal was to "Russify" Ukraine, the second was to prevent NATO from approaching Russia’s borders, and third – to undermine Euro-Atlantic unity, but in the end he totally failed in achieving any of those objectives.

Now it is necessary to prove to Moscow and the countries that are inclined to support Russia that aggression comes at a cost too high.

It should be recalled that Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.