Finnish speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho. LEHTIKUVA
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Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho has voiced concerns that the world might already be in the midst of World War III, urging Finland and its allies to treat current geopolitical tensions as if they signify a state of war.
In an interview with Turun Sanomat, Halla-aho argued that avoiding recognition of the situation could lead to greater risks.
“If we don’t know whether we are at war, it’s always best to assume that we are,” he said. He compared today’s circumstances to the early stages of World War II, when the global conflict was not immediately recognised as such.
Halla-aho emphasised the necessity of prioritising Ukraine’s defence and Russia’s defeat, calling the latter even more crucial than a Ukrainian victory. A failure to stop Russia, he warned, would embolden other authoritarian states to engage in imperialist aggression.
“Russia’s victory would signal to rogue states that the high cost of imperialist adventures is worth paying, as Western resolve would eventually falter,” he said.
Halla-aho urged Finland to increase its support for Ukraine and push other nations to do the same. He criticised vague statements that suggest Russia might retain some gains from the conflict, arguing that such messages only encourage Moscow to pursue further negotiations on its terms.
Citing the increased prevalence of hybrid warfare, Halla-aho said that even if full-scale military conflict has not erupted globally, proxy wars and hybrid attacks present a dangerous state of “neither war nor peace.”
“Finland and the Baltic states understand what is at stake,” he said, acknowledging the limited re
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
