Ananova:

Prime Minister Tony Blair will urge the rest of Europe to show its political muscle on climate change, the increasing bloodshed in Darfur, and with the Russians over energy security and freedom of speech.

A bullish Mr Blair will tell fellow EU leaders at a summit in Finland that the world is reaching crisis point on global warming faster than it thought.

And Europe must take the lead in adapting technologies, cutting energy use and - crucially - securing its long-term energy supplies in negotiations with the Russians.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be at the summit dinner in Lahti - but first, over lunch, the EU leaders must hammer out a united front to present to their guest.

The fear is that Mr Putin will exploit EU divisions over attitudes to Russia - particularly when countries such as Germany have already arranged preferential energy supply deals while other nation's operators are excluded.

Meanwhile, Mr Blair will also try to inject new urgency into countering climate change, warning in a letter to the EU that the world is close to a "catastrophic tipping point" with the environment.

Failure by the EU to act urgently would seriously affect economic growth, the safety of the public and the prospect of securing long-term energy supply, he argues.

The Prime Minister insists the time has come to treat climate change and future energy security as two sides of the same coin - "climate security".

Mr Blair's concern about a strong EU voice on the world stage on key issues extends to the spiralling cycle of violence in Darfur.

The Prime Minister wants the summit to use its clout to exert pressure on Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.