The Finnish government decided on Thursday that it would allocate EUR 100 million to acquisition weapons from the US to support Ukraine. “The situation in Ukraine is critical and that is why we are involved, like another Nordic and Baltic countries,” said the head of the Finnish government of Petteri Orpo.
– A fresh pool of funds for the acquisition of arms for Ukraine will be raised by borrowing fresh debt. There will be no budgetary cuts in another sectors," announced the Prime Minister, quoted by the paper "Helsingin Sanomat".
The acquisition of arms by Finland will be carried out as part of the PURL (Priorized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, through which Ukraine will receive regular supplies of equipment and ammunition from the US as part of the global assistance of partner countries and the acquisition of arms, including weapons identified as a precedence by Ukrainian authorities and armed forces.
Three billion in 3 years.
In October, the Ministry of Defence of Finland besides announced that it was providing Ukraine with another, 30th already own military aid package, including equipment originating from home production. In total, since 2022, the beginning of a full-sized Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland has already provided Ukraine with defence materials worth nearly EUR 3 billion. As the Minister of Defence of Antti Hakkanen, Finland, given the size of its economy, stressed, is 1 of the countries that gave Kiev the top support.
At the same time, the central right-wing government of Orpo is accused by the opposition of mediocre economical and employment policies and, at the same time, excessive cuts in many areas of social policy, including a crucial simplification in social benefits. Finland is presently facing the top unemployment in years. According to Eurostat, the unemployment rate is presently more than 10 percent and is 1 of the highest in the EU, after Spain.
Tax cuts and increases, including VAT rates, were explained by the government, among others, by defence policy and by raising the cost of arms during these hard times, linked to the war in Ukraine.
Polon / PAP