Europe ‘Not Strong Enough’ to Take on Russia, Needs U.S. Help—Finland

Europe would be “in trouble” without the United States providing military assistance to Ukraine in the war launched by Russia, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said.

Speaking in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, Marin offered a “brutally honest” assessment of Europe’s current defense capabilities in light of the war, which began when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24.

“I must be brutally honest with you, Europe isn’t strong enough right now. We would be in trouble without the United States,” Marin told Sydney’s Lowy Institute think tank. The conflict has exposed Europe’s military weakness, she said.

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their meeting at Kirribilli House in Sydney on December 2, 2022. She said Europe would be “in trouble” without the United States providing military assistance to Ukraine in the war launched by Russia. SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images

“The U.S. has given a lot of weapons, a lot of financial aid, and a lot of humanitarian aid to Ukraine,” said Marin, adding that many U.S. politicians she has spoken to think Europe should be stronger.

“Europe isn’t strong enough yet,” she continued. “We have to make sure we are also building those capabilities when it comes to European defense and the European defense industry.”

Ukraine must be given “whatever it takes” to win the war, she said, warning that if Russia wins its “terrible gamble” it “will not be the only one to feel empowered.”

“Others will be tempted by the same dark agenda,” said Marin.

Military assistance from the U.S. to Ukraine throughout the war has been key, she said.

Washington has been supplying Ukraine with U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have been described as a “game changer” in the fight against Russia.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. think tank, said on November 13 that Ukraine’s success in pushing Russian troops out of the key city of Kherson in southern Ukraine can be largely credited to HIMARS.

It said Kyiv’s success resulted in large part from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ innovative use of the HIMARS precision rocket system to disrupt Russian supply lines.

Ukraine’s “Kakhovka” task force previously credited HIMARS with assisting its troops in destroying almost all the large Russia-controlled bridges in the southern Kherson region, something that largely cut Russia’s forces off from vital supplies of weapons, military equipment and personnel from the annexed Crimea region.

Ukraine has also used the weapons to strike supply and ammunition depots, and command headquarters.

Marin said on Friday that her country’s priority had shifted “overnight” to security when Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine.

Finland, as well as Sweden, applied for membership to the NATO military alliance after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Their applications are still pending.

Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s foreign ministry for comment.

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