Source: World Wide Web
Finland recently made a formal decision to buy 64 American-made F-35 fighter jets. Russian media said US President Joe Biden "welcomed" Finland's decision and also expressed "concerns" about Russia in talks with the Finnish president.
Screenshot of RT news report
Russia Today (RT) news site reported on December 13 that Biden praised Finland's decision to buy 64 aircraft from The United States Lockheed Martin in a Dec. 13 conversation with Finnish President Sholi Niinistö, adding that the purchase of fighters "lays a solid foundation for closer bilateral defense relations in the coming years."
The White House also said Biden and Niinistö also "discussed their shared concerns about the importance of Russia's increased military presence in Ukraine's border areas, destabilization, and efforts to ease the situation through transatlantic cooperation." ”
American-made F-35A fighter
The F-35 fighter jet purchase agreement announced on Friday is worth 8.378 billion euros ($9.44 billion), including fighter jets, complementary weapons and maintenance services through 2030. According to Finnish Air Force Commander Pasi Jokinen, Finland expects to gradually begin bringing the aircraft into service in 2027.
The F-35 fighter jet, built by the American company Loma, won the aircraft order in Finland after winning the competition with boeing in the United States, Dassault in France, and Saab in Sweden. However, RT News commented that Finland is the second neutral European country to choose this troublesome and expensive US-made fighter. In June, Switzerland announced the purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets.