Russia increases its nuclear and Arctic assets near Finnish border – defense minister
Russia is strengthening its strategic capabilities in the Arctic and building new facilities along the border with Finland.
Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen stated this in an interview with Euronews, emphasizing that the Arctic is of "critical" importance for European defense, Ukrinform reports.
"Russia has most of their biggest strategic capabilities in nuclear, submarines, long-range bombers in the Kola Peninsula area," Hakkanen said.
He added that the Russians "are building new military facilities along our border, same as the Cold War."
In his view, "It would be wise to watch the Arctic and build Arctic capabilities" for deterrence.
According to Hakkanen, discussions about European nuclear deterrence are welcome, but at present this cannot replace NATO.
Hakkanen stressed that, in his opinion, the United States remains ironclad committed to NATO's core guarantee under Article 5 on collective defense, adding that "in the short term, this is the only option for Europe" to fully ensure deterrence.
"In the longer term, it would be better that the Europeans have their strong capabilities. But in the short, and even mid-term, we need the US. It's crucial to European security," he said.
He emphasized that Finland's armed forces are fully adapted to Arctic conditions and are ready to share their experience with allies to better defend the region.
The head of Finland's defense ministry also welcomed NATO's defense plan for the High North, pointing to the launch of Operation "Arctic Sentry," but noted that the region's security should have been a priority many years ago.
Like 18 other EU member states, Finland has requested funding under the bloc's EUR 150 billion defense loan program. Its request for EUR 1 billion was approved by the European Commission last month, and final approval by ministers is expected this week. Hakkanen told Euronews that a significant portion of these funds will be invested in the land forces to procure equipment including armored vehicles and drones.
According to Hakkanen, the EU is drawing the right conclusions from the war in Ukraine and is working to strengthen its defense and assume greater responsibility.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, UK Defense Secretary John Healey said that the number of British troops in Norway will double over the next three years as part of efforts to counter Russian threats in the High North.
Photo: Mikko Mantyniemi