Russia’s unpredictable actions have further strengthened international defense structures.
Päivi Suikkanen,
I guess Jaskari
Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen (col.) finds bad and good news about Russia’s aggressive actions.
– Russia’s operations have centuries-old traditions. When Russia gets money from energy production, the military forces are raised and they start rattling the neighbors, characterized Häkkänen in the A-studio on Monday.
– In the 21st century, Putin has practically done this continuously. The scale and degree of gloom is going in a more drastic direction all the time. You have to be prepared for that.
According to Häkkänen, on the other hand, Russia’s actions have resulted in very strong defense plans being made in NATO. Troop and command structures are also being reformed.
– Article five protection is really strong. Finland’s national defense capability, the Nordic defense dimension and the defense cooperation agreement between Finland and the United States bring a really strong Nordic stronghold.
– What is left between article five and Russia, I would not like to be there. If you don’t belong to NATO, it’s dangerous ground, Häkkänen describes the current security policy situation.
Russia has realized its stated goals through various conflicts, small wars and now a full-scale war. Defense Minister Häkkänen reminds that Russia’s speeches should be taken seriously.
– We are now preparing for that in national defense, with NATO and the USA, and with international partners. There is no longer any place in foreign and security policy for the restraint of international law or diplomacy alone to prevent.
– Now we really need a counter-deterrent, a counter-deterrence. That’s what we’re building now. Finns can be calm, but at the same time must be determined, the Minister of Defense underlines.
The assistant professor also participated in the discussion in the A-studio Katri Pynnöniemi from the National Defense University and leading researcher Charly Salonius-Pasternak From the Foreign Policy Institute.
Watch Monday’s A-studio at Areena.