Finland has decided to join NATO's PURL project, within which weapons are purchased for Ukraine in the United States, said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen upon arrival at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, UNN reports with reference to Yle.
Details
"We consider it crucial that Ukraine receives critical weapons from the United States," Häkkänen said.
Häkkänen did not specify the amounts with which Finland will participate in the purchases.
According to Häkkänen, long-range missiles are critically important for Ukraine, and they will have a clear impact on the conduct of the war.
Häkkänen also said that it is crucially important for Western countries to increase support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia.
"This is the only way to achieve peace, if they really want it," he said.
Also, the Finnish Defense Minister, as Sky TG24 writes, indicated that Russia is increasing its presence on the border with his country.
"We are seeing the expansion of several facilities" on the Russian-Finnish border, Häkkänen noted.
"We are moving slowly because it is an old plan, but now we know that Russia is really strengthening its armed forces for the second phase of its potential aggression. And I mean that they pose a real threat to NATO after the war in Ukraine. So they are really modernizing their armed forces and strengthening their capabilities, and signs of this have also been seen near our borders," the Finnish Defense Minister said.
Addition
Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) is a NATO-led project in which member countries purchase military equipment from the United States. The project includes regular packages, each worth about $500 million. Ukraine compiles a list of the most needed weapons.
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine could receive long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US if Russia continues the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously requested these missiles from the US.