Finland’s accession changed NATO. The country’s border with Russia is longer than that of all other NATO partners together. Finland knows from experience that peace and security cannot be taken for granted. With Finland, NATO is stronger and more effective than it was before Putin attacked Ukraine. That is a real security gain for Europe.

At the same time, we must all realise that Europe’s security today is being defended not only in Ukraine. It is being determined at the Finnish-Russian border, in the Baltic Sea and in elections in Europe – in other words, wherever Russia is trying to exert a harmful influence and to divide our societies.

With its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has challenged the very essence of the European security order. We are responding to this threat. The Europeans’ decisions at the NATO summits in The Hague and Ankara underscore our resolve to counter Russia’s constant provocations with an enhanced deterrent and defence capability. At the summit in Ankara, we NATO partners pledged 140 billion euro to Ukraine for defence, so that Putin finally grasps that the only road to peace is serious negotiations.

My trip to Finland will take me not only to Helsinki but also to the Finnish-Russian border. Finland’s resilience and civil emergency preparedness show us how we too can counter challenges even more effectively. Because they don’t merely begin with a crisis, but with preparations for one. Defensive capabilities are not an abstract concept; they are a genuine prerequisite for peace and security. With its comprehensive approach to security, Finnish society shows us how all sections of the population have a role to play. We can learn from this in Europe, so as to equip ourselves better to fight sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

At the same time, Finland is one of the countries whose security and prosperity – like ours – are particularly dependent on free trade and secure supply routes. A safe Baltic Sea is crucial for 95% of Finland’s supply of goods. That’s why we will not allow Moscow to target critical infrastructure or to endanger supply routes, for instance using its dilapidated shadow fleet. We NATO partners will therefore continue to strengthen the Baltic Sentry Mission.

Moreover, Germany and Finland are united in their determination to enhance Europe’s competitiveness. This requires a modern EU budget that sets the proper priorities. We are agreed that we need to take decisions and dismantle bureaucratic obstacles in Brussels more quickly and more efficiently. Global energy prices also show us that we need to work with European companies to resolutely drive forward the rapid expansion of key future sectors, such as a productive European hydrogen economy that ensures secure, future-oriented value creation for all Baltic partners.