Finland’s Prime Minister claims Moscow used asylum seekers from the Middle East against the European Union
Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orbo said on Friday that Russia had orchestrated the influx of migrants from third countries in order to undermine the European Union. He stressed the need to strengthen the borders with Russia, which have been closed for several months.
Petri made these statements during a visit to Finland’s eastern border in Imatra, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
He added: “We have to find common solutions to stop this phenomenon when Russia used illegal immigrants against us. We are preparing our own legislation but we also need measures at the European Union level.” Urbo told reporters. He said earlier that the threat from the situation on the border was “Clear” She announced that the government is working on a deportation law.
Von der Leyen claimed, in a joint press conference, that Russian President Vladimir Putin “He has his sights set on Finland.” Because of the country’s support for Ukraine and its recent accession to NATO. “Russia’s hybrid attacks are not just about the security of Finland. They are about the security of the entire European Union.” She wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Finland closed the border with Russia in December, and has since extended the closure indefinitely. Finnish authorities have reported a sharp rise in illegal crossings, with more than 1,200 migrants from 29 different countries applying for asylum since August, according to official statistics. Most of them came from Syria, Somalia and other countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Russia has denied using migration as a weapon, and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Helsinki of rejecting cooperation between the two countries’ border agencies.
Historically warm relations between the two neighbors were severely strained after Finland, along with several Western countries, imposed sanctions on Russia and began supplying weapons to Kiev. In an interview with Russian media in March, Putin blamed the West for the collapse of the previous regime “Perfect relationships” Between Moscow and Helsinki.
Last year, Finland abandoned its long-standing non-aligned policy in favor of joining the US-led military bloc, whose eastward expansion sees Russia as a national security threat.
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