Sanna Marin mulls fighter jets for Ukraine, bad burgers, and Russian narratives

Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/eudebates The agenda covered topics including a common EU migration policy, joint debt sharing, and mitigating the impact of the US green stimulus package on the European economy.

The main event of the meeting though was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech on Thursday, in which he advocated for more arms shipments from the West and expressed Ukraine's desire to join the EU as quickly as possible.

Marin told the media after the meeting that she had discussed in a small group with Zelensky how Finland can help Ukraine.

"Finland has said that as long as it is needed, we are ready to help," Marin emphasised.

She added that she believes that in the coming weeks and months there will be discussions about sending more heavy equipment to Ukraine.

"We know, for example, the need for air defence and anti-aircraft systems. And in terms of fighter jets, there will be discussions."

Zelensky spoke passionately about Ukraine receiving fighter jets and Marin did not want to rule them out as a material package, at a European or democratic level. However, she said that Finland must take into account in all its decisions the fact that it shares a border with Russia.

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Food authority warns against medium rare
Business-daily Kauppalehti(siirryt toiseen palveluun) wrote that the Finnish Food Safety Authority encourages people not to order rare or medium rare beef products.

According to Petra Pasonen, a researcher at the Food Safety Authority, there is a health risk associated with the consumption of a burger or steak that is a bit too red in the centre — particularly for children.

"Raw beef is considered a high-risk food for the EHEC bacteria, so at least in theory you can get infected from a medium steak. However, the level of food hygiene in Finland is generally good, and the presence of EHEC bacteria is not very common," Pasonen told KL.

The Food Safety Authority said this week it will carry out a survey of restaurants on minced beef served rare and medium rare.

The authority warned that EHEC bacteria can cause bloody diarrhoea and life-threatening kidney damage, especially in children and the elderly.

Russian propaganda on Finland
Iltalehti(siirryt toiseen palveluun) interviewed Russian journalist Kirill Nabutov on Russia's evolving outlook towards Finland.

Nabutov — who cut his teeth as a sports commentator and also runs a YouTube channel with 800,000 subscribers — said that Russian propaganda is painting a picture of a Finland with 'Nazi' sympathies.

"Since Hitler, our enemies have always been the Nazis. Nato is our main enemy. And now that Finland is about to join Nato, the Finns are also contaminated by Nazism," Nabutov told IL.

He noted that there are some Russians who take this propaganda seriously, but he added those who access media outside of the Russian state narrative are quick to recognise the falsehoods.

"Despite the propaganda, the opinions of people who think with their own brains on Finland have not changed," the journalist told IL.

However, according to an opinion survey commissioned by the Finnish Foreign Affairs Ministry last November, the propaganda has had an effect. In one year, the number of people in Russia who thought positively of Finland had dropped from 68 to 51 percent, while those with negative perceptions had risen from 5 percent to 22 percent.

Nabutov said that Finland does not need to fear Russian military actions on its borders, despite the propaganda.

"The Russian leadership knows that the Finns know how to fight and that the Finnish army is in a strong position. When they don't want to take on Ukraine either, they don't have the strength to harass Finland. For the time being at least, you can rest easy in this respect," Nabutov emphasised to IL.

Two decades ago, Nabutov also made a documentary about the Winter War, clearly portraying the Soviet Union as the aggressor for the first time on Russian television.

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