Finland to Send More Defense Aid to Ukraine
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Finland has been delivering defense materiel to Ukraine, the Nordic country's defense ministry announced via a press release.
The exact nature of the Finnish aid will remain undisclosed in a bid to ensure its safe delivery, as Russia has called Western arms deliveries to Ukraine a legitimate target and destroyed related depots in several parts of the country.
Authorities have confirmed, however, that the additional aid has taken into account both the needs of Ukraine and the current resources of the Finnish Defense Forces.
Ukraine has repeatedly requested more assistance from both the European Union and NATO member states, Sputnik reported.
“Finland has supported Ukraine in many ways, including with defense materiel. Ukraine is in great need of additional assistance. We will increase the amount of defense materiel assistance we send to Ukraine,” Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said in the press release announcing the decision.
Earlier this spring, Finland already sent 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 cartridges for attack rifles, 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons and 70,000 combat ration packages to Ukraine as material aid, pledging further undisclosed assistance.
Commenting on Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described them as “pouring oil on the fire”. He also warned that NATO is “in essence at war” with Moscow, adding that the shipments to Kiev would be a “legitimate target” for Russian forces.
Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that the Russian military would consider NATO transport carrying weapons in Ukraine as targets to be destroyed.
Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24.
Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has received ballooning arms deliveries from across the Western world, ranging from its immediate neighbors such as Poland to distant nations like Australia and Canada and including heavy arms. Among others, Germany caved in to pressure from abroad and within and announced it would send tanks to Ukraine in a major U-turn by its Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
