Eastern flank EU nations declare Russia long-term threat amid Helsinki summit

Leaders from eight northern and eastern European Union countries on Tuesday branded Russia as the “most significant, direct and long-term threat” to security, peace, and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, issuing a stark joint statement during a summit focused on bolstering the bloc’s eastern defenses.

The declaration, signed by the heads of government or state from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, underscored Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine as a “profound and enduring” danger not just to Kyiv but to the entire continent. It also highlighted escalating Russian hybrid operations, including sabotage and disinformation campaigns targeting European infrastructure.

Hosted by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Helsinki, the Eastern Flank Summit brought together nations most exposed to potential Russian aggression – many sharing borders with Russia or its ally Belarus.

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The group, an ad-hoc coalition beyond formal formats like the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), emphasized the need for enhanced EU-level defence initiatives, including joint military infrastructure, integrated air defence systems, and countermeasures against hybrid threats.

“We share a strong political will to reinforce our common security and Europe’s defence, starting from the eastern flank,” Orpo said in remarks following the meeting. He warned that “Russia remains a threat today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future,” even as diplomatic efforts intensify elsewhere.

The summit comes at a delicate moment in the nearly four-year Ukraine conflict. Just a day earlier, U.S.-mediated talks in Berlin yielded progress on potential NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, with European leaders expressing cautious optimism. However, the eastern flank nations stressed that any peace deal must not reward Russian aggression and should include robust mechanisms to deter future attacks.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a prominent voice in the group, echoed concerns about Moscow’s intentions: “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine threatens literally not only the eastern border of the European Union, but the continent as a whole.”

The leaders pledged unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and EU integration aspirations, while calling for greater EU investment in defence ahead of the upcoming European Council summit in Brussels. Proposals include developing a “common concept for an EU-level defence flagship” tailored to the eastern border, potentially involving joint procurement and rapid-response capabilities.

This unified stance reflects growing assertiveness among frontline states, many of which have ramped up military spending and hosted NATO reinforcements since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Sweden and Finland’s recent NATO accessions have further solidified the region’s alignment, transforming the Baltic Sea into a de facto “NATO lake.”

No immediate response came from Moscow, which routinely dismisses such accusations as Russophobic. The Kremlin has maintained that its actions in Ukraine are defensive and has accused Western nations of prolonging the conflict through arms supplies.

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: (L-R): Bulgarian’s Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Romania’s President Nicusor Dan and Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina attend the press conference of the Eastern Flank Summit in Helsinki, Finland, 16 December 2025. The Finnish prime minister convened the leaders of seven EU member states bordering Russia to discuss threats to European security and defense readiness along the EU’s eastern border. EPA/KIMMO BRANDT