BRUSSELS, December 16. /TASS/. Leaders of eight EU countries neighboring Russia will seek the allocation of funds for defense from the community's common funds at a summit in Helsinki on Tuesday, Politico wrote, citing three unnamed European government officials.

According to national authorities, the costs of ensuring security in this region should not be shouldered by individual countries. Leaders want the next long-term EU budget for 2028-2034 to include appropriately earmarked funding.

According to one of the publication's sources, the leaders of those countries want the EU to offer them new financial opportunities, as well as financial instruments operating on the principle of solidarity.

On December 16, an EU summit will be held in Helsinki with participation of representatives from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.

An unnamed source told Bloomberg that a joint communique is expected after the summit. The leaders will present their positions on the drone wall project, which envisions defense against unmanned aerial vehicles, and the military mobility initiative.