Finland to host December Summit for EU eastern flank nations

Finland will host a summit for leaders of countries on the European Union's eastern flank to push their common messaging on defense initiatives, Report informs via Bloomberg.

The summit on December 16 in Helsinki will include at least Poland, Romania, Bulgaria as well as the Baltic nations Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, according to a spokesman of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who will host the event. Coming ahead of the December EU summit, the intention is to advance joint efforts and influence within the bloc, the spokesman said.

The summit will also focus on concrete efforts to strengthen defenses along eastern borders of the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the face of a more aggressive Russia.

Last month's wave of incursions into NATO airspace by Russian aircraft and the sightings of large, professional-grade drones around several Danish airports and military facilities added urgency to plans to mount defenses in the EU countries closest to Russia. Air defense systems are being planned to ramp up surveillance and safeguarding of EU airspace.

European leaders are also increasingly preparing to shoulder the burden for supporting Ukraine as Kyiv defends itself against Moscow's belligerence and the US seeks to reduce its involvement in the war that's in its fourth year. Russia has this week again launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.

On Thursday, the EU also adopted a new package of sanctions targeting Russia's energy infrastructure, building on new US and UK moves to chip away at Moscow's ability to wage its war against Ukraine. Ukraine's allies from the so-called Coalition of the Willing will convene on Friday.