Russia summons Finnish ambassador over new military deal with US
Moscow summoned the Finnish ambassador to Russia on Tuesday to demonstrate its opposition to a new defense agreement between Finland, a new member of NATO, and the United States, which gives the latter broad access to the zone surrounding the Scandinavian country’s long border with Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Finnish Ambassador “was informed that Russia would not leave unanswered the NATO military build-up on its border, which threatens the security of the Russian Federation, and would take the necessary measures to counter the aggressive decisions of Finland and of his allies”, assured the spokesperson of the ministry, Maria Zakharova, in a press release.
The Scandinavian country became, in 2023, the newest member of the transatlantic military alliance, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The agreement concluded on Monday between Helsinki and Washington lists fifteen installations and areas in Finland to which the US military will have unrestricted access and where it can also store military equipment and munitions, including four air bases and a military port.
A similar 10-year deal was also signed Tuesday between the United States and Denmark to allow American soldiers and military equipment to be based on Danish soil, Danish Prime Minister Mette said Frederiksen. It comes in addition to that signed this month with Sweden which, unlike its Finnish neighbor, is still waiting for its membership to NATO to be definitively validated.