Arms exports Finland’s decision to hand over weapons to war-torn Ukraine was historic for many reasons

It is known that Finland has not directly donated arms aid in the past, nor has it exported weapons to a country at war.

1.3. 18:11

Finland the decision to send arms aid to Ukraine has been said to be historic, and it is in many ways.

The president of the Republic Sauli Niinistö decided on Monday on the proposal of the Government, among other things assault rifles and lumps to Ukraine.

“Now there has been a departure from the tradition and the fact that Finland does not export weapons to countries at war. But this does not make us a party to the war, ”Niinistö said in Yle’s A-studio on Monday.

Leading researcher Charly Salonius-Pasternak From the Foreign Policy Institute, Finland’s rapid change of line is considered unique and historic because Finland supports the defending party in a war in which the attacking party is Russia.

“During the Cold War, it would have been an impossible idea.”

Exceptional is also that it is a donation.

“I do not remember that Finland had ever given up or donated weapons from another state stockpile to another state,” says a dissertation researcher in international politics. Mikko Räkköläinen From the University of Tampere.

His dissertation deals with commercial military and security companies.

Räkköläinen reminds that so far Finland’s arms exports have been mainly a business in which the state has issued an arms export license to the company.

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New it is also the case that now weapons were sent to a warring country, but according to Räkköläinen this is not a change in the foreign policy line but its expansion.

The government’s program states that Finland will not export defense equipment to countries at war or trampling on human rights.

According to Räkköläinen, when writing the government program, they did not even know how to think of a conflict like Ukraine.

“After all, the situation in Ukraine is completely exceptional, when the country near Finland is defending itself from the attack. The previous guidelines have been about humanitarian values ​​and not promoting a violent conflict, the parties to which have generally been far away from Finland, ”says Räkköläinen.

Finland has not wanted to be a party but to stay out of conflict and prefer to offer mediation. Compliance with international rules has been considered to be in Finland’s interest. ”

Now, he says, rule-based order is exceptionally supported by the provision of weapons.

Helsinki Director of the University Research Council Tuomas Forsberg considers Finland’s decision to send aid to a country at war to be a change of line.

According to Forsberg, the reason for the change is the thinking of the reference group: “Neighboring countries such as Sweden and Germany put pressure on them to do the same.”

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However, sending weapons to Ukraine does not make Finland a direct warring party in the conflict.

“Sending your own troops would be a little different already,” Forsberg says.

Forsberg also refers to the UN Charter and the right to help countries that defend themselves.

According to Forsberg, Finland should not be afraid of Russia’s reaction to assisting Ukraine.

“You can now rely on herd protection here.”

Political professor of history Juhana Aunesluoma The University of Helsinki compares Finland’s weapons aid to Ukraine with Sweden’s large-scale weapons aid to Finland during the Winter War.

“Sweden was not a party to the war at the time, but helped Finland to defend itself against the Soviet invasion,” Aunesluoma recalls.

According to Aunesluoma, Finland is not doing anything against international law now.

Government program Finland operates in the export of defense equipment in accordance with international agreements and commitments, as well as its national legislation.

Defense exports also support military security of supply.

The incubator Saferglobe has been compiling information on Finnish arms exports in its annual reports for 20 years.

The most recent data are from 2020, when the value of arms exports was around € 160 million, the lowest since 2011. Still, it was double that of the statistics starting in 2002.

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Yet in the second year, the government also granted two export licenses for military vehicle parts to the united states for nearly 140 million euros. According to Saferglobe, in addition to the high value, the long duration of the permits was exceptional until the 2050s.

The recipient of the parts is the company that uses them in the manufacture of military vehicles.

“For decades, Finland will give the UAE company free rein to export Finnish components as parts of its military products anywhere,” said Saferglobe’s researcher. Kari Paasonen in last fall’s report.

Saferglobe pointed out that in the autumn of 2018, Finland suspended the issuance of new export licenses to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia due to their involvement in hostilities in Yemen.

Admittedly, the UAE announced its withdrawal from Yemen next year but said it would resume air operations in the spring of 2020.

In 2020, Finland had the largest exports of military products to Austria and Sweden, followed by the United Arab Emirates.

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