European states flanking Russia push to keep defence high on EU agenda

HELSINKI, Dec 16 (Reuters) - European ⁠Union nations ⁠that ‍face Russia and its ally Belarus on NATO's eastern flank called for the EU to take ‍a bigger role in enhancing the continent's defence and ​security, the leaders of eight countries said as they met in Helsinki ​on Tuesday.

The EU "eastern flank" meeting, which convened leaders from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, said the region's defences must ​be prioritised to counter what they called a long-term threat posed by Russia.

The show of eastern flank unity ​came ahead of a wider European Council summit in Brussels set for Thursday in ‌which the future of proposed EU "flagship" defence projects is in doubt due to resistance from EU ​heavyweights such as Germany, France and ⁠Italy, Reuters reported on Monday.

"The eastern border regions must play a key role in the ‌EU's defence projects. Our task is to ensure the issue stays high on the agenda and is understood at the EU ‌level," Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a statement.

EU countries, he ‌said, had already adopted a White Paper on the bloc's defence and agreed on a roadmap toward improving it, including the flagship projects, ‍at previous gatherings.

"I proceed on the basis that (the flagship projects) have been approved. The next ⁠question, then, is how these will be prioritised within the EU, for example in the allocation of funding," Orpo told reporters.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto in Helsinki; editing by Terje Solsvik and Mark Heinrich)

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