Russia is strengthening its strategic capabilities in the Arctic and building new facilities along the border with Finland.
Points of attention
- Russia's construction of new military facilities near the Finnish border raises concerns about European security.
- The Arctic region is of critical importance for defense, prompting Finland to support initiatives and engage with partners to protect the area.
Russia is returning to the Cold War era
This was stated by Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkanen, emphasizing that the Arctic is of "critical" importance for European defense, Ukrinform reports.
Russia has most of its major strategic capabilities in the form of nuclear weapons, submarines, and long-range bombers in the Kola Peninsula area.
He added that the Russians are "building new military facilities along our (Finland's — ed.) border, just like during the Cold War."
In his opinion, "it would be wise to monitor the Arctic and build up Arctic capabilities" for deterrence.
According to Häkkanen, talks about a European nuclear deterrent are desirable, but at the moment it cannot replace NATO.
Häkkanen stressed that he believed the US remained “unwaveringly 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 guarantee deterrence.
In the long term, it would be better for the Europeans to have their own powerful capabilities. But in the short and even medium term, we need the US. This is crucial for European security.
The minister emphasized that Finland's armed forces are "fully adapted to Arctic conditions" and are ready to share their experience with allies to better protect the region.
The head of the Finnish defense ministry also welcomed NATO's defense plan in the High North, pointing to the launch of Operation Arctic Sentinel, but noted that the security of the region should have been a priority many years ago.
Like 18 other EU member states, Finland has applied for funding under the bloc's €150 billion defense lending program. Its request for €1 billion was approved by the European Commission last month, and ministers are expected to give final approval this week.
Häkkanen told Euronews that a "significant portion" of these funds will be invested in the ground forces to purchase products including armored vehicles and drones.
According to Häkkanen, the EU is drawing the right conclusions from the war in Ukraine and is working to strengthen its defense and take on more responsibility.
