Finnish PM under fire for offering to donate fighter jets to Ukraine

by Pekka Vanttinen

Prime Minister Sanna Marin suggesting Finland should discuss the possibility of donating fighter jets to Ukraine has caused a stir following her surprise Kyiv visit ahead of the April elections.

Media criticised Marin for visiting Ukraine so close to the elections and for her comments about holding possible talks on Finland donating fighter jets.

On her trip to Ukraine, Marin said that Finland could discuss donating some of its 62 F/A-18 Hornet fighters, as these will soon be replaced by 64 F-35A soldiers. ”The discussions are in the very early stages,” Marin added.

Back home in Finland, Marin came under fire, however, for not having first discussed the matter with the government, the president, or the military as per her obligations about security and foreign policy matters under the Constitution.

Her comments also came when Finland is waiting for Hungary and Turkey to ratify its membership bid, and President Sauli Niinisto is in the US talking about the issue.

There “has been no discussion with anyone”, Niinisto told the Finnish News Agency.

Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen (Centre) told Ilta-Sanomat that he had been unaware of Marin’s idea and would prefer such talks to be stalled since the jets are needed for Finland’s own defence.

Both the Chair of the Defence Committee, Antti Hakkanen (NCP), and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Jussi Halla-aho (Finns Party), were said to have been taken by surprise, with Halla-aho saying that such unconfirmed promises could hurt Finland’s credibility.

The issue had also not been discussed in the Defence Forces, Air Force Commander Major General Juha-Pekka Keranen told Helsingin Sanomat. He added that hornets will be needed until the new F-35s are ready for operative use around 2030.

Besides, donating the fighters would also be a complicated ordeal.

This is because the Hornets’ airworthiness has to be secured and updated, training of the pilots would take time, and the transfer to Ukraine would need US permission.

*first published in: Euractiv.com