Latest news with #PetteriOrpo
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Germany's Merz Anticipates Prolonged Ukraine War Due to Russia's Reluctance for Talks
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations. "Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war, we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation)", Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. "So, we may have to prepare for a longer duration," he added.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's Merz: 'No illusions' over quick end to conflict in Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said he has "no illusions" over a quick end to Russia's war in Ukraine. "We may have to prepare for a longer duration," Merz said after talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in the south-western Finnish city of Turku. Throughout history, conflicts have usually ended when one or both sides have reached exhaustion, either militarily or economically, said Merz. "We are obviously still a long way from that in this war," he argued. The German chancellor, who took office earlier this month, insisted that support for Ukraine would continue. The war is not just about Ukraine's territorial integrity, he suggested. "The political order that we established together with Russia after 1990 is being called into question," said Merz. "We are being threatened and we are defending ourselves against this." The 69-year-old said joint efforts by the European Union, United Kingdom and United States in the past three weeks to pressure Russia to agree to a ceasefire have been unsuccessful. "However, I had no illusions from the outset that this would happen very quickly," Merz said, adding that Russia has no interest in a ceasefire at the moment. "As a consequence, this means that Ukraine must continue to defend itself and that we must intensify our efforts so that Ukraine can defend itself," the chancellor said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Decision on lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine made months ago, Germany's Merz clarifies
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clarified on May 27 that his comments on the West lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine referred to a step made months ago. "The issue of limiting the range of deployed weapons played a role a few months and a few years ago. As far as I know, and as I said yesterday, the countries that imposed range limitations have long since abandoned these requirements," Merz said during a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. "In this respect, yesterday in Berlin, I described something that has been happening for months: namely, that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives, even beyond its own borders, against military targets on Russian territory." Speaking at a forum on May 26, Merz said that "there are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine" imposed by Germany, the U.S., the U.K., or France. "This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia," the chancellor added. "Until recently, it couldn't do that, and apart from very few exceptions, it hadn't done so either." Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from the U.S., the U.K., and France — including ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP — but was initially permitted to deploy them only against Russian military forces in occupied Ukrainian territories. Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets in Russia's border regions. Merz's comments on May 26 caused some confusion as to whether he was referring to a newly announced policy, drawing both praise and rebuke. Ralf Stegner, a politician from Merz's coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told the media the move was "unhelpful" and called instead for intensifying diplomatic efforts. In turn, a former German defense minister and ex-leader of Merz's CDU party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, praised Merz for his comments. Merz's latest statement in Turku indicates that his earlier comment referred to the decision taken in late 2024 rather than a new policy. Before becoming chancellor, Merz signaled he would overturn the ban of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, on the delivery of Germany's Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles). He has not confirmed whether he intends to deliver the missiles since taking office. Read also: Ukraine war latest: West no longer imposing range restrictions on arms for Ukraine, Germany's Merz says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Germany's Merz anticipates prolonged Ukraine war due to Russia's reluctance for talks
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine is expected to persist due to Russia's reluctance to enter negotiations. 'Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that (situation),' Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku. 'So we may have to prepare for a longer duration,' Merz added. Read more:
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Finland plans tax cuts to boost economy; to cut corporate tax to 18% from 20%
HELSINKI, April 24 (Reuters) - Finland's government announced tax breaks for companies and employees in an attempt to boost the country's ailing economy in a mid-term budget review it completed late on Wednesday. In office since June 2023, the government had promised to stop public debt from growing despite the economy's slow recovery from a recession. But at the mid-term budget talks, it chose to loosen its budget discipline and opt for tax breaks in the hope of boosting growth. Corporate tax will be cut to 18% from 20%, the government said, while employee income taxation will be reduced by a total of 1.1 billion euros ($1.25 billion). "We will make Finland one of Europe's most attractive countries for investments," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters after two days of budget talks. Boosting growth is essential to fund increased spending on defence and other government expenses, Orpo said. The Finnish economy shrank by 0.1% last year, according to preliminary data, while the Bank of Finland has warned 0.8% growth forecast for this year was under threat from tariffs and the global trade war. The tax breaks will be partially funded with a one-time withdrawal from the state pension fund, the government said. Finance minister Riikka Purra said the government remained committed to stabilising public debt by the end of 2027 but acknowledged it would miss its initial target of reducing the fiscal deficit to 1% of gross domestic product by then. According to finance ministry calculations, the deficit would shrink in 2026 and 2027 thanks to the pension fund withdrawal but then resume growth in 2028 and 2029 after the government's planned term. While the right-wing government had estimated the 2024 deficit to be 3.7% of GDP, statistics office data on Tuesday showed it had reached 12.2 billion euros, or 4.4%, well above the European Union 3% limit. The government now expects a 12.3 billion euro deficit in 2025. The government earlier this month announced plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2029, from 2.4%, to meet growing NATO demands.
