The Scandinavian nation’s defence minister told Euronews that Russia is strengthening its strategic assets in the Arctic and constructing new facilities near its border with Finland, emphasising the Arctic’s importance to European defence. “The Kola Peninsula area is home to the majority of Russia’s strategic capabilities, including nuclear, submarines, and long-range bombers,” Antti Häkkänen told Euronews during an interview conducted over the weekend on the fringes of the Munich Security Conference.
Similar to the Cold War, they are constructing new military installations along our border. He continued by saying that it would be prudent to monitor the Arctic and develop Arctic capabilities “for deterrence.” The bulk of Russia’s sea-based strategic nuclear weapons, including submarines, and long-range aviation assets are located on the Kola Peninsula, a 100,000 square km area in the country’s extreme northwest.
Häkkänen, whose nation made history by joining NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, praised NATO’s updated defence planning in the High North, citing the start of the Arctic Sentry enhanced vigilance activity, but argued that the security of the area ought to have been prioritised years earlier. “It’s old news.”
According to him, Finland’s military is “fully Arctic” and prepared to share its knowledge with friends in order to improve regional security. US President Donald Trump has implied that Europeans cannot accomplish this alone by proposing an EU-backed purchase of Greenland, which Denmark rejects.
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