Ukrainians are heroically fighting for entire West – Finnish foreign minister

It is important for all citizens of Western countries to understand that Ukrainians are heroically fighting for all of them, and therefore they need assistance.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said this in an interview with The Washington Post, Ukrinform reports.

"It's struck everybody by surprise how united the West was at the beginning and still is. I don’t think the West has ever been this united. And let's just keep it this way. It's very important that we do understand that Ukrainians are heroically fighting for all of us and therefore we should help them," she said.

According to Valtonen, in Europe, it was "fashionable" for a time not to increase defense spending.

"We now have to do the opposite, not just for Ukraine, but strategically for the future. We have to invest heavily into the defense industry. It's very worrying that we see Russia producing more than they did before the war, when it comes to weapons and ammunition. We just have to realize that in order to stay safe in the future, to be able to live the European way, we just have to take better care of ourselves when it comes to defense and security," the minister said.