The United States and Finland signed a defense cooperation agreement

Finland and the United States signed a defense cooperation agreement. “The agreement is kind of a condition for things to work really well within NATO,” says Peter Wijninga, a defense expert at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies.

“It’s really a deal for NATO members to give the Americans access to Finland if a crisis or war breaks out on the border,” says Wijninga. In such a case, the Americans would need access to Finland because troops would need to be stationed there, among other things. It should be provided for in such agreement.

No nuclear weapons

Not only would the Americans seek access to Finland in times of acute crisis, but preventive measures could also be taken through this agreement. ‘What the Americans often do is store all kinds of weapons in NATO countries if they have to go in that direction. Because it takes a lot of time to transport that kind of stuff.’

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There was no way the Americans could install nuclear weapons in Finland. A separate agreement should be made for this. Additionally, Finland is a signatory to the 1970 International Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. “Finland is also a member of the Convention Against Anti-Personnel Landmines, so the Americans cannot store them in Finland,” the defense expert said.

Putin

In any case, Russian President Putin is not happy about Finland joining NATO. In an interview on Sunday evening, he warned that ‘problems will arise’ now that NATO is gaining a foothold in neighboring Finland. “A lot of it is personal consumption, that kind of talk,” Wijninga explains. “And on the other hand, he’s trying to sow chaos in the West.”

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On the one hand, Putin says he has no problem with NATO and will not attack NATO countries, but on the other hand he has a problem with Finland. As Finland is now NATO, he is conflicted there. So what should you do with such statements? It makes no sense.’