Finland approves defense deal permitting US troops on soil
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The deal stipulates that the US will be given access to 15 military locations in addition to pre-positioning defense equipment and supplies.
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Soldiers assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division scan for counterparts acting as opposing forces during exercise Arrow 23 in Niinisalo, Finland, May 4, 2023 (US Army)
According to Yle, a Finnish media outlet, the Finnish parliament has accepted a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States, which would allow access to 15 military installations.
The Finnish Parliament overwhelmingly adopted the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the US.
The deal stipulates that the US will be given access to 15 military locations in addition to pre-positioning defense equipment and supplies. It also would allow the entry and movement of US planes, ships, and vehicles, and the protection, security, and shielding of US forces, as well as the locations and regions where they operate.
The deal does not indicate that the US will maintain a permanent presence in Finland. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained that any foreign soldiers stationed there will rotate. Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023.
In an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, general director of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, Sputnik's parent organization, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO was useless in terms of their national interests, warning that Finland's membership will only result in greater Russian deployment of soldiers and attack systems near the Finnish border.
Russia sees NATO expansion as a threat, especially since over the years the Cold War-era alliance expanded eastward, putting Russian interests at risk.
Ukraine formally applied to join NATO in September 2022, but the alliance has not taken any official steps in response.
NATO states to build 'drone wall' across northwestern Russian borders
Six NATO countries plan to construct a "drone wall" along the Russian border as tensions escalate, especially amid increasing declarations from coalition nations about their intention to deploy forces in Ukraine.
Lithuania's Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite revealed the plan after discussions with Estonia and Latvia, as well as Finland, Norway, and Poland.
"This is a completely new thing, a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland, and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders," Bilotaite told the BNS news agency in May.
"Not only with physical infrastructure, surveillance systems but also with drones and other technologies," including anti-drone systems, "which would allow us to protect against provocations from unfriendly countries and to prevent smuggling," she added.
However, no time frame for the plan was provided.
