German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russia against any military moves towards the Baltic states and emphasized that NATO is determined to defend all allies.
“We will defend every square centimeter of allied territory, I made this clear during my visit to the Baltic states a day earlier, and I want to repeat it today,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
“We want to further strengthen the eastern flank of NATO. The objective is very clear: We want to ensure that Russia is never tempted to test our borders and unity,” Scholz emphasized.
He said that Germany also wants to strengthen the European pillar within the NATO alliance and that they share similar views with Finland on all these issues.
“I am very pleased that Finland has been a NATO member since last year. NATO membership strengthens Finland, strengthens Scandinavia, and strengthens our common security in Europe,” added the German chancellor.
