On December 14, local time, the Finnish government announced that it would sign a defense cooperation agreement with the United States, allowing US troops to be stationed and trained in Finland and pre-deploy military supplies in Finland.
According to reports, Finn and the United States are expected to formally sign the agreement in Washington on December 18 local time.
Why did Finland allow U.S. troops to be stationed?
Data map: On April 4, 2023, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, representatives from many countries attended the ceremony of Finland's accession to NATO (source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to Reuters, Finland will open 15 facilities and areas to the US military, including four air bases and one military port.
Military observer Shao Yongling said that Finland's accession to NATO has led to a deterioration in its security environment, which is the main reason why Finland allows US troops to be stationed.
Shao Yongling:
In the past, relations between Finland and Russia were relatively good, but after Finland joined NATO, Russia took some measures to deal with it, for example, Russia decided to rebuild the Leningrad Military District, expand the size of the army, and also deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
In this case, Finland feels "weak". Finland believes that it can strengthen its security by allowing the United States to have a military presence in Finland.
Finland is closing its border crossings with Russia
"Repeated Horizontal Jumps"
On November 27, local time, a photo taken at the Rajayosepi port on Finland's border with Russia (source: The Paper)
According to reports, Finland has "unilaterally" closed almost all entry and exit ports on the border with Russia, citing concerns about the influx of illegal immigrants. On December 14, the Finnish government opened two border crossings with Russia to a limited extent, but decided to close them again a few hours later.
Shao Yongling analyzed this.
Shao Yongling:
Finland and Russia have had a strong economic complementarity for many years. Finland has closed most of its border crossings, which will certainly have an impact on bilateral exchanges and trade. Finland's losses are certain. Finland's current torn between closing and opening border crossings also illustrates a difficult balance between security and the economy.
The signing of a defense cooperation agreement between Finland and the United States will certainly affect Finland's relations with Russia in the future.
Finland and Sweden will both have a U.S. military presence
Data map: The military base established by the Russian army on the islands near the Arctic (source: Global Network)
In addition to Finland, Sweden recently signed a defense cooperation agreement with the United States, allowing the United States to deploy troops and fighter jets in Sweden and store weapons and ammunition and other materials.
In Shao Yongling's view, once the United States stationed troops in Finland and Sweden, it will further complicate the confrontation between the United States and Russia in key strategic zones such as the Arctic and the Baltic Sea.
Shao Yongling:
Sweden is close to the Arctic region, and the presence of troops here can pose a threat to Russian military bases in the Arctic region, in particular, Murmansk, where the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet is located, the stronghold of Russia's sea-based nuclear forces.
In addition, Sweden and Finland are both close to the Baltic Sea, and if the United States has a naval presence in these two countries, it will be convenient for them to blockade the Baltic Sea, making it difficult for Russia's Baltic Fleet and commercial ships to operate in the Baltic Sea, and even cut off the Russian mainland from Kaliningrad.
Of course, Russia will definitely take countermeasures, especially in the deployment of some sophisticated weapons, and even the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out.
Will the United States expand its nuclear deployment?
Data map: B61-12 nuclear bombs deployed by the U.S. military in Europe (source: Global Network)
According to reports, neither Finland nor Sweden will sign a defense cooperation agreement with the United States that excludes the deployment of nuclear weapons.
Although Finland's defense minister said the agreement would ensure compliance with Finnish law, which prohibits the storage and transportation of nuclear weapons within the country, it has raised concerns about the expansion of the U.S. nuclear weapons deployment.
Shao Yongling:
I believe that the United States will not deploy tactical nuclear weapons in these two countries for the time being, and it is unlikely that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe will change significantly.
However, the agreements signed between Finland and Sweden and the United States do not prohibit nuclear weapons, and in fact they have opened a "gap." If the situation changes, if Russia's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus are strengthened, will the policy of the United States and the countries concerned change?
Editor-in-Chief: Zhao Hanlu Text Editor: Fang Ying Title Image Source: Visual China Photo Editor: Yong Kai
Source: Author: Wang Aoduo, Yang Guang Military