Flags of Ukraine and the European Union at the European Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 15 December 2023. A fifth of Finns agree and 43 per cent disagree with the view that the west should start convincing Ukraine to accept a peace settlement even if it meant that the country could not re-claim all of the territory illegally occupied by Russia, reveals a survey commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat. (Roman Pilipey – AFP / Lehtikuva)
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EXACTLY HALF of Finns view that Finland should prepare for war in the coming years, reveals a survey conducted for Helsingin Sanomat by Verian.
Thirteen per cent of the respondents contrastively viewed that the country need not prepare for war in the coming years. More than a quarter (26%) stated that they neither agree nor disagree with the statement and 12 per cent that they are unable to comment on the statement.
Helsingin Sanomat on Friday highlighted that the responses were similar regardless of the age, gender or political affiliation of the respondents.
Supporters of the Left Alliance were the only stand-out, with a third of them viewing that no war preparations are necessary. Supporters of the National Coalition, by contrast, were the most likely to agree with the statement, at 59 per cent.
Only few Finns, though, have personally prepared for the likelihood of war, the survey also found.
Slightly over a fifth (21%) of the respondents revealed that they have taken measures to prepare for a war or national emergency, whereas over two-fifths (45%) revealed that they have taken no such measures. The responses were again similar across different groups of respondents, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
The respondents were also asked about their views on the war of aggression waged in Ukraine by Russia.
Over two-fifths (43%) of the respondents disagreed with the statement that the west should start convincing Ukraine to agree to a peace settlement even if it meant that the country could not re-claim all of the territory seized by Russia. The statement was agreed on by a fifth of the respondents, including around 25 per cent of supporters of the Finns Party and National Coalition.
Supporters of the Green League, in turn, were the most likely to reject the statement.
Finns, the survey found, are divided over the ability of Ukraine to win the war by re-claiming all of the territory it has lost to Russia, with 31 per cent saying they believe and 25 per cent they do not believe in such an outcome.
Over a half (53%) of the respondents also indicated that they are concerned about the possibility that Russia could invade a Nato country if it emerges from the ongoing war with at least some of the territory it has taken illegally from Ukraine. Only 16 per cent of the respondents disagreed with the statement.
Verian interviewed 1,047 people for the survey between 15 and 20 December. The results have a margin of error of about three percentage points.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
