Finland supports France’s position on sending troops to Ukraine

Helsinki agrees with Paris that all options to support Kiev against Moscow should remain on the table, but according to Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Waltonen, Finland is not ready to send troops to Ukraine or even discuss such a possibility at this stage. slow.

French President Emmanuel Macron sparked a backlash in February after suggesting the US-led military bloc “cannot” rule out sending NATO troops to help Ukraine. Several member states, including the president of Finland at the time, quickly rejected Macron’s comments and insisted that European troops would not be on Ukrainian soil.

However, Natsk Daily reported: Finland’s foreign minister has argued that if the situation on the ground worsens, hypothetically, anything is possible.

Valtonen said: “It is important not to rule everything out for the long term, because we never know how serious the situation will become. But Finland’s position is clear, we are not sending any troops at the moment and we are not ready to discuss it.

Valtonen said that in the meantime, supporters of Kyiv “could do more in terms of arming its forces.” He also criticized Washington for delaying new aid, saying its reputation was at stake.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, and Moscow has argued that NATO membership threatens rather than guarantees Finland’s security. After Finland joined the bloc last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of a new military zone on the Nordic country’s border. “There were no problems before Finland joined the bloc, but there will be now,” he said in December. > International Europe and America