In Finland, they said that the idea of ​​​​the prime minister on the transfer of fighters to the Armed Forces of Ukraine was not discussed

The proposal to transfer decommissioned Hornet fighters to Ukraine was not discussed with anyone, said Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. Earlier in Kyiv, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the republic could discuss such a possibility, writes Helsingin Sanomat.

“We didn’t talk about this with anyone,” President Niinistö’s office said. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen also told Iltalehte that Marin did not tell him about her initiative in advance, and if the possibility of supplying fighters was discussed, he would “trample” this idea.

Marin, during a visit to Kyiv on March 10, said that the Finnish authorities could discuss sending Hornet fighters to Ukraine. “Yes, I think we can also discuss Hornet, whether it will be possible to transfer them to Ukraine and what kind of preparation will be required for this,” the Finnish prime minister said.

According to the publication, the fleet of Finnish fighters will be decommissioned from 2025, it will be replaced by F-35 fighters.

On January 12, the Finnish president admitted that the country could transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but only a small number. He explained that this is due to the fact that Finland is not part of NATO and borders on the Russian Federation. At the end of February, it was reported in Helsinki that Niinistö approved delivery of three Leopard 2 tanks. It was reported that the cost of a new aid package to Ukraine would be more than 160 million euros.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of Western weapons to Kyiv. In particular, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, warned that pumping Ukraine with weapons brings NATO closer to the dangerous line of a direct military clash with Russia. And Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the supply of long-range weapons would only expand the geography of the special operation.