Helsinki checks US military support for Ukraine amid Iran war concerns
Häkkänen stated Helsinki will verify that Washington honours contracts with European NATO countries purchasing weapons for Ukraine amid concerns about potential equipment diversion to the Iran war.
Approximately 75% of all missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and 90% of ammunition for other air defence systems have been supplied through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List.
“We’re a small country neighbouring Russia… so there’s no options or potential” to participate in military operations outside our region, said Häkkänen.
Key developments
Häkkänen confirmed that Helsinki plans to ensure Washington adheres to contracts with European NATO countries for weapons bought from US military contractors for Ukraine. This follows concerns over potential diversion of military equipment to the Iran war.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that PURL has supplied about 75% of all missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries. Despite this, there are apprehensions regarding the depletion of US military supplies and possible shifts in priorities.
President Alexander Stubb reiterated Finland’s position against US calls for assistance in the Iran war, emphasising the nation’s focus on its readiness due to the extensive border with Russia.
‘The US must not divert weapons for Ukraine to Iran,’ Finnish defence minister tells EU News
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Häkkänen said Helsinki would check to ensure Washington honours contracts signed with European NATO countries that have bought weapons for Ukraine from US military contractors.
The issue arises from a Washington Post report that the Pentagon is considering diverting crucial military equipment intended for the Ukrainian defence forces to the Iran war.
“Every time we are assessing how the money is being spent, and we are trusting that the mechanism is working. If there are problems of course, then we have to reassess that,” Häkkänen told EU News’ 12 Minutes With programme in an interview at the defence ministry in Helsinki.
The weapons reportedly include vital air defence systems needed to intercept Russian missiles and drones, purchased through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List or PURL system, which allows NATO countries to buy arms for Ukraine from the US.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told journalists that essential equipment for Kyiv, including interceptors, “is continuing to flow into Ukraine.”
However, there are concerns that as the war grinds on and US military supplies deplete, a decision to divert assets to Iran will be made.
“PURL has now supplied around 75% of all missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and 90% of the ammunition used in other air defence systems,” to Ukraine, Rutte told journalists at NATO HQ in Brussels on Thursday.
Helsinki is also adamant it would not be drawn into the US-Israeli intervention in Iran, despite comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio implying that Washington’s support in Ukraine is at risk if European allies do not help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
In a thinly veiled threat to allies while en route to the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio said: “Ukraine is not America’s war, and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country in the world.”
“So, it’ll be something to examine that the president will have to take into account down the road”, Rubio added.
But Häkkänen said redirecting security apparatus from Finland to the Gulf was something Helsinki could not do, given the 1350-kilometre border Finland shares with Russia.
“We’re a small country neighbouring Russia,” he said. “All our resources are involved into our readiness in this area, so there’s no options or potential” to participate, he said.
Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb also doubled down on his country’s resistance to US calls for help.
The Iran war “not a NATO matter,” he said on Thursday evening, as NATO is a defensive alliance.
Stubb was speaking at a press conference following a meeting of the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEC), a multilateral defence cooperation among Nordic-Baltic NATO countries.