Finland’s Nordic neighbour Sweden, on the brink of joining NATO, signed a similar deal last week.
NATO’s newest member, Finland, has announced it will sign a bilateral defence cooperation agreement next week with the United States.
The pact, which still needs to be approved by Finnish lawmakers, “is very significant for Finland’s defence and security,” Häkkänen said.
Finland joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Under the deal, Finland will allow US soldiers access to 15 military areas and facilities covering the entire Nordic nation.
Several NATO countries currently have similar bilateral defence agreements with the United States.
Last week, Finland’s close Nordic neighbour Sweden, which is on the brink of joining NATO, signed a comparable deal. »