Poland, Finland have strong distrust of Putin, Nawrocki says
Poles and Finns share concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin may attack subsequent countries; therefore, they will strive to enhance NATO defence capabilities, Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has said.
During a joint conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki on Tuesday, Nawrocki said that Finland has the best civil defence in all of Europe and that Poland can draw examples from Helsinki in this area. He also noted that the Baltic Sea region and relations with Finland are crucial for Poland.
The Polish president said that he spoke with his counterpart primarily about security. "The history of Finland and the history of Poland show that both Poles and Finns know the Russian soul and Vladimir Putin very well," he said. "We do not trust Vladimir Putin's good intentions. We have a deep conviction that... Putin is ready to strike other countries as well."
According to Stubb, the presidents agreed that Poland and Finland must strengthen NATO's defence and Russia's deterrence system.
"We have agreed to further strengthen our dialogue, we will intensify our cooperation in the area of security and defence, as well as defence investments, in line with NATO's goals," he said.
Nawrocki also told reporters that he had discussed with the Finnish president Helsinki's joining the Bucharest Nine, a cooperation format comprising nine Central European countries. The proposal, he said, was welcomed by Stubb.(PAP)aj/mmr
