Finnish President Alexander Stubb has had to explain his decision to buy modern weapons systems from Israel to protect against a potential threat from an aggressive southern neighbor.
This was reported by the Reuters news agency.
Just a year ago, such a question to the leader of a sovereign state would have been inappropriate, but after a campaign of open and covert boycotts against Israel, this decision now requires an explanation. We are talking about the acquisition of the David’s Sling medium-range missile defense system, which has proven its effectiveness in combat conditions.
The Finnish president explained that his government adheres to the doctrine of “value realism.” Stubb stressed that the decision to buy Israeli weapons is not related to the fact that Finland still does not recognize a Palestinian state, unlike its northern neighbors Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
“We are striving for the world that is, not the one we would like to see. Recognition of a Palestinian state is not a question of if, but when, but such a solution should help promote peace in the Middle East. “It has nothing to do with buying weapons from Israel; we look at it realistically, that is, we need weapons to ensure the security of the country,” Stubb said.
It is known that the US consent for the sale of the David’s Sling missile defence system to Finland was granted in August 2023, after Finland joined NATO in April.
Earlier, Kursor wrote that in 2024 Germany significantly reduced the volume of arms supplies to Israel, despite official support for its fight against terrorists. Defense sales fell to just $14 million, the lowest in two decades.
