Avoiding the escalation of the crisis after a Russian missile hit Poland showed that nuclear deterrence works both ways, said General Timo Kivinen on Ylen Ykkösaamu.
Defense Force Commander, Gen Timo Kivinen see no signs of an end to the war in Ukraine.
– I don’t see an end to this war at this point, Kivinen said in Ykkösaamu.
In Kivinen’s opinion, it is difficult to see that “Russia’s direction” would change after the country claimed to have annexed four regions of Ukraine. Ukraine is not ready for a truce or peace either. Kivinen did not want to assess the fighting situation next spring.
According to him, within a few months we will see how Russia’s ability to continue waging war develops. In that, not only the success of the business launch, but also the mobilization of the defense industry is decisive.
According to Kivinen, Russia has already used a significant part of its missiles in stock. Western sanctions make it difficult to produce new missiles, but on the other hand, according to him, sanctions can also be circumvented.
Nuclear deterrence works
The risk of the expansion of the war in Ukraine increased a week and a half ago when a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile probably fired by Ukraine strayed into Poland, a NATO country.
According to Kivinen, the expansion of the war between Russia and NATO was avoided because NATO, Poland and the United States did not rush. However, the danger of war expansion was real.
– In the era of nuclear weapons in the West, the starting point is that the Western armed forces do not come into direct contact with Russia. And they probably think the same way in Russia, Kivinen said.
– Poland’s example showed that nuclear deterrence worked both ways – the West does not directly participate militarily in this war.
Navy acquisitions are dragging on
In Finland, the four new corvettes being built for the navy at the Rauma shipyard are to replace the seven existing ships. However, the shipyard’s schedule has stretched even further, now already two years.
– Yes, I trust that those ships will come from there in time.
Now Kivinen expects the ships to be in use in 2029.
The service life of the current ships is already being extended with maintenance.