Russia is reinforcing its strategic assets in the Arctic and building new facilities along the border with Finland, the Scandinavian country's defense minister told Euronews, stressing that the Arctic is "critical" for European defense.
"Russia has most of its major strategic capabilities in nuclear weapons, submarines, long-range bombers in the Kola Peninsula area," Antti Häkkänen told Euronews in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.
"They are building new military facilities along our border, just like during the Cold War. It would be wise to monitor the Arctic and build Arctic capabilities for deterrence," he added, the Telegraph reports.
The Kola Peninsula - a 100,000-square-kilometer region in northwest Russia - houses most of the country's sea-based strategic nuclear arsenal, such as submarines, as well as long-range aviation assets.
Häkkänen, whose country joined NATO in a historic move after Russia invaded Ukraine, welcomed NATO's renewed defense planning in the High North, pointing to the launch of the increased Arctic Sentry vigilance activity, but suggested the region's security should have been treated as a priority years ago. "It's old news."
He said Finland's forces are "fully Arctic" and are willing to share their expertise with allies to better protect the area. President Trump has suggested that the Europeans cannot do it alone, proposing a purchase of Greenland, which Denmark opposes with EU support.
Like 18 other European Union member states, Finland sought funds under the bloc's 150 billion euro defence loan scheme. Its request for 1 billion euros was approved by the Commission last month, with ministers expected to give the final green light this week.
Häkkänen told Euronews that "a large part" of the money will be invested in its land forces to purchase products, including armored vehicles and drones. Last year, Helsinki launched a major reform plan to overhaul its land defenses by 2035, with an emphasis on increasing attack capability, improving infrastructure, developing unmanned systems and improving self-sufficiency of materials in emergency conditions.
Häkkänen said the EU is learning the right lessons from the war in Ukraine and is working to strengthen its defense and take more responsibility for it.
But he also sought to downplay concerns that the US, the single largest contributor to NATO, is not as committed to Europe's collective defense as it once was.
Trump caused further tensions last month when he threatened to use military force to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory belonging to NATO ally Denmark, which he later backed down from during a speech in Davos, arguing that there would be no need.
The dispute has since subsided, with the US, Greenland and Denmark engaged in trilateral talks. However, Washington's unprecedented threats to another NATO ally have accelerated discussions about strengthening the so-called European pillar of the alliance.
However, Häkkänen insisted that he believes the US remains "strongly committed" to NATO's core guarantee under Article 5 of collective defense, adding that "in the short term this is the only possibility for Europe" to fully guarantee deterrence.
"In the long term, it would be better for the Europeans to have their own strong capabilities. But in the short term and even the medium term, we need the US. It is essential for European security," he added.
US support also extends to nuclear capabilities, according to him.
The Finnish minister said that while the offer from France and the United Kingdom to expand their nuclear deterrence to the rest of the continent is "good news", it should not be seen as compensation for the US nuclear umbrella. /Telegraph
