Finland will transfer tanks to Ukraine only after it joins NATO
Leopard tank (Photo:REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)
Finland doesn’t plan to directly transfer tanks to Ukraine until it becomes a full NATO member, an unnamed senior alliance official told The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 09.
They added that even after joining the alliance, Finland will be able to transfer only a small number of heavy tanks, as the country only has about 240 in stock. The WSJ notes that Finland's accession to NATO is currently being held up by Turkey.
Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola said that the country would take part in the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but the contribution would be small.
On Jan. 24, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö confirmed that his country is considering transferring Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but believes it’s better for Finland to act in concert with other European partners in this regard
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