Finland’s prime minister condemns Trump’s alignment with Russia over Ukraine
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo accused Donald Trump of siding with Russia against Washington’s European allies, saying the U.S. president’s recent actions on Ukraine had “no logic.” He pointed to Trump’s agreement with Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel onto the market and reported restrictions on Kyiv’s access to U.S. military intelligence and technology. European governments fear renewed fuel sales would increase Moscow’s war revenues, while Orpo said the volumes involved were too small to meaningfully reduce prices for American consumers.
Orpo also criticized Trump’s calls for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian fossil-fuel facilities and to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He warned that Ukraine urgently needs weapons, air defenses and financing as Russian missiles continue to threaten the country. Finland’s view carries particular weight because it shares the EU’s longest land border with Russia, stretching 1,300 kilometers.
With U.S. support increasingly uncertain, Orpo urged Europe to keep Ukraine fighting through the winter and into next year. Finland and Sweden want the European Commission to revive negotiations over using frozen Russian assets held in European banks. Belgium blocked an earlier proposal over legal concerns, but Orpo argued that tapping those funds would be preferable to asking EU countries to provide more of their own money.
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