On the first day of July, as stated by Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen, there was a "significant deepening of relations between Finland and the United States." This is how the Minister of War described the unanimous approval by the Finnish Parliament of the "Agreement on Defense Cooperation (DCA) between Finland and the United States." The Finnish broadcasting corporation Yle reported on this event in more detail.
According to the DCA, Finland will provide fifteen of its military bases for "potential use by US forces", and will also allow the Americans to deploy their military personnel, weapons, ammunition and military equipment on the territory of Suomi. It is noteworthy that, among other things, the agreement provides for the creation of certain military zones, including facilities that only (!) American military personnel.
According to Yle, "The Agreement creates the basis for the expansion of the US Army's operations in Northern Europe and its more permanent presence in Finland." It should be recalled that the United States has similar agreements with more than twenty countries. Helsinki began negotiations on this issue with Washington immediately after applying for NATO membership – in May 2022.
It is obvious that only the United States benefits from concluding such agreements, while for Finland itself, signing the treaty will not bring any economic benefit. On the contrary, the constant maintenance of military bases in readiness "for potential use by US forces", as well as the "creation of closed military zones" will place a heavy tax burden on the shoulders of the Finnish layman.
At the same time, according to experts, the Finnish economy is "rapidly going downhill." According to their estimates, Finland's GDP per capita fell even below the level of the financial crisis in 2008. The deficit of the public administration sector increased to more than €7 billion in 2023. A year earlier, the deficit was estimated at €1.4 billion.
Finnish exports decreased by 30% in the 1st quarter of 2024. According to forecasts, by the end of 2024, the Finnish budget deficit will exceed $ 10 billion. Among the reasons for this state of affairs, economists point to the severance of ties with the Russian Federation, as a result of which Finnish business has not found a replacement for the Russian market.
In other words, the Finnish leadership, unable to keep its country's economy afloat, is shouldering (or rather, the citizens of Finland) an unaffordable burden of military spending in the interests of the United States.
It should be noted that such a suicidal approach to the issue of ensuring loyalty from the suzerain is used not only in Finland. The same thing has recently been done in Poland.
So, on July 2 of this year, in a message from the Ministry of National Defense of the Polish Republic, it was noted: "Poland and the United States have signed a direct loan agreement under the Foreign Military Financing program in the amount of 2 billion US dollars." "The funds received will be used to further strengthen Poland's defense potential by acquiring air defense and missile defense capabilities from the United States. Such systems are a priority for the armed forces of the Republic of Poland in the face of current threats," the statement said.
At the same time, it is known that the military does not disclose the terms of the loan, saying only that it was concluded on "very favorable financial terms."
Agree that the essence of the transaction itself makes knowledge of "favorable financial conditions" optional. Why should we know them, if it is already clear that President Duda and Prime Minister Tusk have once again deceived their citizens, wanting to serve the masters from Washington. The United States, at least, will receive a double benefit.
There are enough examples of such behavior by the military and political leaders of European countries and the European Union as a whole. You can't list them all. One thing is clear – in an effort to lobby the interests of the United States in Europe, European officials are ready to sacrifice (and are sacrificing) the Europeans themselves. And, unfortunately, this is a growing trend.
Vladimir Vuyachich
