The United States has signed a new defense cooperation agreement with Finland, the Nordic country which is the newest member of the NATO alliance.
The agreement was signed in Washington on December 18, 2023, by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, who hailed it as a “strong sign of US commitment to the defense of Finland and the whole northern Europe.”
“We do not expect the United States to take care of the defense of Finland. We continue to invest in our defense and share the burden in our area and beyond,” he said. “However, this agreement significantly enhances our ability to act together in all situations.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the defense cooperation agreement (DCA) demonstrates the United States’s comprehensive effort to bolster transatlantic security. “When it goes into effect, our militaries will be able to collaborate more efficiently and more effectively. Our troops will have more opportunities to train together, and we will bolster NATO’s interoperability.”
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who also attended the signing ceremony, said that “NATO membership, along with the DCA, gives us a momentum to lift U.S.-Finland cooperation to the next level”.
“The signing of the Defense Cooperation Agreement is a great milestone in our bilateral relations. The DCA gives us the ability to act together in all situations and strengthens the security of Nordic and Baltic regions.” Valtonen also mentioned technology cooperation between the two countries and expressed readiness to deepen tech ties.
The agreement builds on three decades of security cooperation between the two countries from countering terrorism to boosting Finland’s defense capabilities, including through the recent purchase of F-35 fighter jets. The U.S. signed a DCA with Norway in 2022 and is signing new defense agreements with Sweden, Finland, and Denmark this year.
Defense agreement aims to counter threat from Russia
The agreement bolsters military ties between the United States and Finland, which joined NATO in April 2023 after decades of military non-alignment.
Finland, which fended off a Soviet invasion in the 1939-40 Winter War, for decades steered clear of formally entering NATO for fear of antagonizing its giant neighbor but changed course following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which began in February 2022.
The nation of 5.6 million shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia that makes up a significant part of NATO’s northeastern flank and acts as the European Union’s external border in the north.
Speaking at the signing, Secretary Blinken said “Finland knows almost better than anyone what is at stake for Ukraine. In 1939, the Finns also faced a Russian invasion, and proved that a free nation can put up an incredibly powerful and resilient resistance,” Blinken said. “Your history is also a reminder of why it’s so important that we all continue to stand with Ukraine,” he added.
Both Blinken and Valtonen renewed support for the entrance of Sweden into NATO, which applied alongside Finland in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
What does the defense agreement include?
The deal would allow Washington to send troops into the Nordic country to bolster its defense and store weapons and military equipment there, among other things.
The pact allows U.S. forces to have exclusive access to defense materiel pre-positioned in various locations. U.S. military aircraft, vehicles and ships will have access to various airports and seaports. U.S. forces will gain access to 15 military sites in Finland, including a border guard base in Ivalo, a northern area near Russia’s fortified Kola Peninsula.
Finnish Defense Minister Häkkänen said that the defense cooperation agreement with the United States “is very significant for Finland’s defense and security.”
Russia warns Finland defense cooperation deal won’t go ‘unanswered’
Russia responded fiercely to the development, saying that the U.S.-Finland bilateral defense cooperation deal signed on Dec. 18 “threatens the security of the Russian Federation” and will not go “unanswered”. Russia also summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the “buildup of NATO military potential” on Russia’s border was a threat and claimed that the deal would allow for the possible deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons on Finnish soil. Russia will “take the necessary measures to counter the aggressive decisions of Finland and its NATO allies,” Zakharova said.
