Finland says it must ensure Ukraine wins war against Russia

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Finland’s leader says it must give more weapons and support to Ukraine to ensure it wins its war against Russia. Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the comments Wednesday in Auckland as she embarked on the first-ever visit by a Finnish leader to New Zealand and Australia. Among the aims of the visit are improving diplomatic relations and trade ties. “We need hard power when it comes to Ukraine,” Marin told reporters when asked what soft-power influence smaller countries like Finland and New Zealand could exert. Since the war began, both Finland and Sweden have abandoned their longstanding policies of military nonalignment and applied to join NATO.