Finland will increase military spending because of Russia's foreign policy
The government of Finland will increase annual military spending by 55 million euros from the current level of 2.4 billion euros, Euobserver reports. After 2021, Finland will increase military spending by another 150 million euros annually.
These steps are in connection with an increase in military tension in the Baltic region and Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine. "Russia is trying to strengthen their status as a world power and expressed its intention to create a security system based on spheres of influence," the report on the defense policy of Finland stated. Moscow has shown willingness "to use the regular armed forces and a wide range of other tools" to achieve their goals, the document says.
Additional costs will be incurred to expand the army and other areas. The number of soldiers in the Finnish army in the event of a conflict will be increased from 230,000 to 280,000.