Defeating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is critical to restraining China in the Indo-Pacific, Finland’s defence minister has said, warning Europe and democratic partners, including Australia, face a fight of global consequences.
Antti Häkkänen praised Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on two Russian oil companies last week, calling the move a major sign of resolve by the US president against Vladimir Putin’s three-year long war.
In an interview with Guardian Australia at the ministry of defence in Helsinki, Häkkänen said the West’s willingness to stay the course in opposing Russia’s aggression would be closely scrutinised.
“China is watching. Does the West have a muscle and resilience, when the autocrats and dictators think they can wage war for another year, and the democratic countries will become fed up?
“No. We have to show that we are even more putting stronger support against violence. It’s not only on Ukraine. It’s against violence, against war, and that’s a signal also for China and the Indo-Pacific area.”
Ending the Ukraine conflict required a three-pillar approach, he said: tougher sanctions on the Russian economy and energy exports; stronger military assistance to Ukraine; and the use of long-range weapons to destroy factories for drones and missiles.
But Trump has resisted pressure to allow Ukraine to use American Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Despite lobbying from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and calls for long-range capabilities on Friday from the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, Trump has argued the weapons are too complex and require years of training.
China is aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by giving them military components and industrial cooperation, Häkkänen says. Photograph: Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Häkkänen said any weakness in resolve would embolden China.
“If there will be some kind of military conflict in the Indo-Pacific area, caused by China, Russia will be somehow involved, through supporting China or something like that,” he said.
“We see now that Russia, by their own resources, cannot continue this kind of warfare, but China is helping them a great deal. They are giving a lot of money to support their economy, from energy exports, and giving them a lot of military components and industrial cooperation.”
Finland shares a land border of more than 1,300km with Russia and considers Putin a permanent threat to European security. The country joined the Nato alliance in 2023 and its president, Alexander Stubb, has secured close ties with Trump.
Häkkänen said China’s president, Xi Jinping, should take note of the resolve shown by the global democratic alliance, including the “coalition of the willing”, of which Australia is a member.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and foreign policy experts believe Beijing is aiming to be capable of making a military move against its independence as early as 2027, amid increased military activity in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
While criticising countries not pulling their weight with Ukraine, Häkkänen said he was optimistic about possible peace.
“European countries have in the last month or so chosen really good steps in supporting Ukraine, investing heavily in our own defence.”
Cooperation on the war could have broader flow-on effects for Australia’s trade ties with Europe.
Finland is seeking to expand defence industrial and space ties with Australia. Its political state secretary for foreign affairs, Pasi Rajala, has visited Australia and New Zealand in recent months.
Häkkänen, who has met the defence minister, Richard Marles, said Australia had played a “tremendous” role as one of the biggest non-Nato contributors supporting Ukraine.
“It’s a big political message here in Europe, that Australia has been a part of the support,” he said. “That will send the signal that if Australia has some challenges in security or defence, Europe knows that we have to be in the same family.”
Tom McIlroy travelled to Finland as a recipient of the EU-Qantas journalism prize
