Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen says in an interview with the German Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung that Europe should invest more in its own defense.
20:20•Updated 20:23
Russia is spying on Finland’s infrastructure, especially looking for weak points, says the foreign minister Elina Valtonen (col.) German of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) in an interview published on Wednesday.
– There is hybrid influence, and then there is also sabotage, Valtonen says.
According to Valtonen, the primary targets of Russia’s hybrid influence are currently Germany and France, where it is trying to weaken Ukraine’s support with disinformation.
Valtonen says that he knows how to expect the Russian president From Vladimir Putin “anything”.
The Minister of the Interior and Supo are on different lines regarding sabotage cases
Minister of the Interior Lulu Wrist (ps.) said earlier this week that the state leadership suspects that Russia is connected to the suspected cases of sabotage in Finland in recent years.
A similar message was given by the Director General of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior Tom Vuori on Monday.
– Let’s put it this way, there will be several events in a month, for which there is no other explanation than the fact that some state actor is behind it, said Vuori in connection with the background event of the Ministry of the Interior on Monday, according to STT.
According to Vuori, the observations have been made near critical infrastructure, which includes water and energy plants.
The protection police, on the other hand, informed STT at the beginning of the week that there were no indications of a state actor in the cases.
Valtonen: The two percent NATO demands for defense spending will not be enough
According to the foreign minister, Europe is not doing enough to defend itself against Russia.
Valtonen tells WAZ that Europe should invest more in its own defense.
– Theirs [puolustusinvestointien] should be at least the two percent of the gross domestic product demanded by NATO. In the future, we will need much more, says Valtonen.
According to him, it is important to work together with the United States, regardless of who leads the country.
– But we cannot depend on the United States. We have to be stronger in the future and take care of ourselves, says Valtonen.