"Security problem"

Finland needs help with migrants from Russia

Finland has asked the EU for help in turning back migrants coming from Russia. This is because many people are trying to enter the European Union via the common border with the aggressor state.

"We are preparing our own legislation, but we also need measures from the EU," said Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo after a visit to the border with Russia with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen said that the Commission agrees with Finland and is working closely with the migrants' countries of origin. "We see that one state is instrumentalizing poor people to exert pressure on another state, so this is clearly a security problem," said von der Leyen with regard to Russia.

Russia abuses migration as a means of exerting pressure
Finland closed its border with Russia last year after more and more people from countries such as Syria and Somalia came to Finland from Russia. Finland accused Russia of deliberately using migration as a tool against the country and the EU. The Kremlin rejected this. Finland now wants to follow the example of Poland and Lithuania on their borders with Belarus and is drafting a law that would allow border guards to turn away asylum seekers coming from Russia.