On December 18, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen is scheduled to sign a defense agreement between Finland and the United States. According to this document, the possibility of deploying American troops on Finnish territory is provided in the event of a “danger” of conflict with Russia. As part of the agreement, the US military will be allowed to use Finnish military infrastructure, including 15 military installations in the country.

Defense Minister Häkkänen has not previously ruled out the possibility of placing US nuclear weapons on Finnish territory, although current Finnish laws currently prevent this. However, in Helsinki there are plans to lift these restrictions.

An important element of the agreement is the air force base in Lapland, located near the city of Rovaniemi. In the event of a conflict with the Russian Federation, this base will become the operational center of NATO forces. The airbase is already being upgraded to accommodate 64 nuclear-capable F-35 multirole fighters. The modernization should be completed by 2026.

To support military logistics, a railway line will be used connecting the port city of Tornio, on the border with Sweden, and Kemijärvi, a city an hour's drive from the Russian border and seven hours from Murmansk, where the main base of the Russian Northern Fleet is located. These measures by the Pentagon are aimed at limiting the actions of the Northern Fleet and Russian long-range strategic aviation in the event of an armed conflict with the Russian Federation.