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Merz in Finland: Clear messages to Northern Europe

2025-05-28 08:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

For Chancellor Merz, it is clear: Germany and other countries must be prepared to support Ukraine for a longer period. His trip to Finland seems to have brought about a change, at least in rhetorical terms.

At Turku's maritime museum, the "Forum Marinum", he passes torpedoes and old naval ships on his way to a press conference at the end of German Chancellor Merz's two-day visit to Finland. Even the route makes it clear what the central issue is: security in and around the Baltic Sea and the situation in Ukraine. On this point, Chancellor Merz seems clear and at the same time resigned: he no longer believes in a quick peaceful solution.

Efforts to influence Russian President Putin over the past three weeks have yielded no results. The fact that the Russian side is not ready to accept the Vatican's mediation shows that Russia has no interest in a ceasefire, Merzi said at a press conference on Tuesday morning (27.05.) with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Merzi went even further: wars normally end with the military or economic exhaustion of one or both sides, but that is still a long way off. The consequence for Friedrich Merzi: European support for Ukraine must be intensified, especially given that the US under Trump plays an ambiguous role when it comes to sanctions and support for Ukraine.

However, Merzi left open what he wants to do specifically here. But he will have the opportunity to discuss the details on Wednesday (28.05.) with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Zelensky is expected in Berlin this Wednesday. Merzi will receive him and German President Steinmeier will receive him. According to information from the magazine Spiegel, a new support package for Ukraine will be announced.

New rhetoric in relations with Russia

In Finland, Merz reiterated that there should be no range restrictions on the weapons systems delivered. This is practically irrelevant for German deliveries, because in most cases they do not have the necessary range to reach Russian territory. And there have long been no range restrictions on French and British cruise missiles.

In this regard, Friedrich Merz has above all changed the hesitant rhetoric of his predecessor Olaf Scholz. He had only agreed to the limited use of some weapons in the Kharkiv region. Merz wants to be more verbally aggressive in his comments to Russian President Putin. Apparently also because the countries of Northern Europe have made it clear what happens with hybrid attacks.

Nordic countries expect support

The Chancellor's visit to Finland lasts less than 24 hours in total, but Merzi has enough time to create an overall picture of the security situation in Scandinavia.

At a joint dinner at Turku Castle and in individual conversations, the Nordic leaders seem to describe in impressive detail Russia's daily provocative actions: in the Baltic Sea, tankers of the Russian illegal fleet damage undersea cables. In the sky, where Russian fighter jets repeatedly violate Finnish airspace, or on the 1,300-kilometer Russian-Finnish border. There have been recent reports and satellite images of increased Russian military activity.

The Nordic countries feel threatened by Russia and expect support from Germany. Petteri Orpo, the prime minister of Finland, comes from the same political party family as Merz. He praised the German chancellor, saying he shows Germany's willingness to fulfill its responsibilities as a major EU country.

"We must protect ourselves together"

However, what this means, in practical military terms, for NATO partners in the Baltic Sea region remained unclear during the quickly concluded visit, for example regarding the expansion of the German Navy's deployment to monitor the Baltic Sea.

According to Merz, there was a lot of discussion about the Russian illegal shipping fleet. He referred to the 17th package of EU sanctions targeting the Russian shadow fleet. According to the Chancellor, Russia is using damaged oil tankers to maintain the oil trade and finance the war against Ukraine.

For him, it's no longer just about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia is "threatening the entire region and the political order, and that's why we have to defend ourselves together," Merz said. The trip to Finland has brought about a change in Friedrich Merz's approach to Russia, at least in rhetorical terms./ DW