US Congress approving the sale by the country’s Defence and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of extended range guided multiple-launch rocket systems and related equipment to Finland worth about €76 million appears to have angered Russia.
Its embassy in Washington called it a step in the wrong direction increasing regional tension in a tweet on Thursday, Finnish media YLE, STT and Helsingin Sanomat reported.
According to the DSCA, the proposed sale supports the security of the United States by improving the security of a “trusted partner”. It is in the US interest “to assist Finland in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defence capability”.
However, the Finnish defence ministry’s director-general, Esa Pulkkinen, downplayed these events on Saturday, saying there is “nothing dramatic or exciting” behind the purchase. “Our defence system is targeted against no one. As a small country, we need to maintain a credible defence capability. The purchase is part of that,” Pulkkinen added.
Finland will start receiving deliveries of the multiple-launch rocket systems in 2024.
(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)