Finland to sign deal bringing U.S.-built stealth jets to Russian border
By Anne Kauranen
and Mike Stone
HELSINKI/WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Finland will sign a $9.4 billion agreement on Friday to buy U.S. F-35 fighter jets, bringing 64 radar-evading warplanes to a country bordering Russia at a time when Moscow is threatening military action unless the West pulls back its forces in Europe.
Finland, which was historically neutral during the Cold War, is a member of the EU but not of the NATO Western military alliance, though it says it aims to cooperate with NATO and retains the right to join.
It's government said the decision to buy the advanced U.S. jets, announced in December, was part of long-term plans to boost the country's defences and not a response to the ongoing confrontation between the West and Russia over Ukraine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finland-sign-deal-bringing-us-built-stealth-jets-russian-border-2022-02-11/
