Defense Minister Häkkänen: Finland to discuss NATO deployment on its territory
NATO member countries are discussing the possibility of deploying their troops on Finnish territory. This was stated by the country’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, adding that, in particular, the talks concerned sending military units from Norway and Sweden to Lapland, the publication reports Yle.
“We do not comment publicly on these negotiations. We are negotiating which countries could provide certain units to ensure Finland’s security,” the defense minister noted. According to him, these plans can only be implemented in practice after agreements have been reached.
The aim of the initiative is to create the possibility for military personnel from different countries to arrive in Finland in the event of a crisis, but at the same time such a measure will not mean actual armed confrontation.
“We are talking about situations where there is no real military threat, but there is tension that falls under NATO’s Article 5,” Häkkänen specified. According to the head of the defense department, such tension on the border could become a reason for holding large-scale joint exercises. However, the allied ground forces arriving in the country will not be permanently stationed there.
It was previously reported that Finland began producing five times more shells after the start of the special operation (SVO). The country also declared its readiness to support Ukraine “as long as necessary.”
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