Mar 16, 2024
GABRIEL MONNET
- Finland’s Foreign Minister says the West shouldn’t rule out deploying troops against Russia.
- Elina Valtonen called for Western nations’ flexibility in response to the evolving crisis, Politico reported.
- The potential for troop deployment was met with backlash when similarly addressed by Macron.
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the West can’t rule out the possibility of deploying troops against Russia, Politico reports.
She reaffirmed that Finland’s current position is not to send troops imminently but said that NATO needs to consider future trajectories.
“It’s important that we not rule everything out for the long term because we never know how serious the situation becomes,” Valtonen said, per Politico.
Finland joined NATO in April 2023 and was joined by Sweden this month.
It shares an 832-mile border with northwestern Russia. During World War II it fought against the Soviet Union after Stalin’s Red Army invaded.
Valtonen argued that as the conflict persists and Ukraine’s defense forces struggle to fend off Russian aggression amid ammunition shortages, the option of troop deployment may become more viable for European countries facing immediate threats from Moscow.
However, she emphasized that she was referring to potential future scenarios, and the current Finnish position is clear. “We are not right now sending any troops and not willing to discuss that,” she said.
The Finnish stance echoes recent comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron, who faced backlash for suggesting the possibility of troop deployment.
Delegates at a Paris conference, including representatives of the European Union’s 27 member countries last month, did not reach consensus about the question of putting troops on the ground in Ukraine, Macron said, adding that “we cannot exclude anything.”
Nice, Finland!
While the US, Britain, Germany, and Italy were quick to throw up their arms.