Russland & Verbündete gegen Europa & USA

[Schneemann]

Finland Prepared for Worst, But Sees No Immediate Russian Threat to Its Border, Defense Minister Says

Despite sharing an 830-mile border with Russia, a senior Finnish defense official said he did not see an immediate military threat from Moscow.

Speaking at an online forum of the Atlantic Council Tuesday, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Esa Pulkkinen, said his position demands that he “always be prepared for the worst.” Tensions have risen in the Baltic states, including NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, over future Russian intentions, including permanent stationing of its forces in Belarus, Pulkkinen said. “We cannot rule out anything,” he said. [...]

“There’s no reason for our neighbor [Russia] to act against us like Ukraine,” Pulkkinen said. [...] In the past, Moscow has recognized separatists in other countries other than Ukraine as independent states in rebuilding Russia’s influence over former Soviet republics. Although Finland is not a NATO member, Helsinki has closely partnered with the alliance on security issues in the High North and the Baltic Sea since 2014. Sweden and Finland “provide a strong deterrent force,” he said. [...]

The Ukraine crisis has strengthened Finland’s transatlantic relations with the United States. In an agreement reached late last year, Helsinki agreed to buy six F-35 Lightning II Strike Fighters with its maintenance and support package by 2030 from the United States. It also will purchase update long-range guided rocket systems from Washington to improve air and ground defense.

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/22/finland...ister-says

Schneemann