Finnish PM Urges U.S. to Tighten Sanctions on Russia as EU Prepares New Measures

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has called on the United States to implement tougher sanctions against Russia, as the European Union works on a new sanctions package to be presented at the upcoming summit.

“Europe is preparing a new sanctions package for the next summit. The United States — meaning President Donald Trump, in practice — already has a very tough sanctions package in place. I hope the US will now come to the conclusion that Russia is playing for time, and now is the time to implement those sanctions,” Orpo said in an interview with Yle Radio Suomi.

He emphasized that increasing sanctions is the only effective way to pressure Russia into agreeing to a ceasefire and engaging in peace talks. “At the moment, I don’t believe there’s anything else to be done than for the West, the United States and Europe together with like-minded nations, to increase pressure on Russia — to support Ukraine’s army in repelling Russia’s continued attacks,” Orpo stated.

After visiting Kyiv on Wednesday, the Finnish prime minister described the suffering in Ukraine as “shocking” and reaffirmed Finland’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s resilience in daily life during wartime. On national defense, Orpo added: “If our defence capability is not sufficient in this situation, then we are jeopardising the safety of our entire nation.”