# Finland defense minister calls for burden sharing on defense and Ukraine, for the sake of European unity

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/finland-defense-minister-calls-for-burden-sharing-on-defense-and-ukraine-for-the-sake-of-european-unity/
- Published: 2026-11-06T09:47:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T10:34:32+00:00
- Original publisher: Kyiv Independent
- Original article: https://kyivindependent.com/finland-defense-minister-calls-for-burden-sharing-on-defense-and-ukraine-for-the-sake-of-european-unity/
- Topics: Business, Economy, Europe, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Häkkänen calls for shared European responsibility on defence and Ukraine.
- He urges countries to give Ukraine 0.25% of GDP.
- He says European unity is essential for security and influence.

## Summary

Finland’s Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen urged European countries to share responsibility for defence spending and support for Ukraine, saying their security interests are closely connected. He warned that Russia could exploit political divisions to challenge European values, and argued that a weak Europe risks losing influence in peace talks.

Häkkänen said European Union countries spend at most 0.2% of GDP on Ukraine, while Kyiv has said 0.25% is needed to keep its finances afloat; Estonia and Lithuania have pledged that level. He also identified money and air defence as Ukraine’s two main needs. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, has increased defence spending, backed Ukraine and joined NATO in 2023.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.