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The Finnish Minister of Defense, Antti Häkkänen, told Euronews that he expected all weapons meant for Ukraine, purchased from the United States by European countries, to be delivered.
Häkkänen stated that Helsinki would ensure that Washington honors the contracts signed with NATO European countries that bought weapons for Ukraine from American military companies.
This statement follows a Washington Post article suggesting that the Pentagon might divert crucial military equipment intended for Ukrainian defense forces for use in the war against Iran.
“Every time, we evaluate how the money is spent, and we are confident the mechanism works. If there are issues, of course, we need to reevaluate the situation,” Häkkänen said in an interview at the Helsinki Ministry of Defense, as part of Euronews’ 12 Minutes With program.
These weapons include vital air defense systems to intercept Russian missiles and drones, purchased under NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) system, allowing NATO countries to buy weapons for Ukraine from the United States.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters that essential equipment for Kyiv, including interceptors, “continue to arrive in Ukraine.”
However, some fear that as the war continues and US military stocks deplete, a decision may be made to redirect resources towards Iran.
“The PURL has now provided about 75% of all missiles intended for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and 90% of the ammunition used in other air defense systems,” Rutte informed journalists at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
Helsinki is also adamant that it will not be drawn into Israeli-American intervention in Iran, despite comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinting that Washington’s support for Ukraine is at risk if European allies do not help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
In a thinly veiled threat to allies, Rubio stated, while attending the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, “Ukraine is not America’s war, yet we have contributed to this fight more than any other country in the world.”
“So, it’s an element for the president to consider going forward,” he added.
But according to Antti Häkkänen, Helsinki could not redirect Finland’s security apparatus to the Gulf, given the 1350 kilometers of border shared with Russia.
“We are a small country neighboring Russia,” he said. “All our resources are involved in our preparedness in this area, so there is no option or potential to participate in it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb also reaffirmed his country’s resistance to US assistance calls.
The war against Iran “is not an issue for NATO,” he said on Thursday evening, as NATO is a defensive alliance.
Stubb spoke at a press conference following a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) leaders, a multilateral defense cooperation among Nordic and Baltic NATO member countries.
