The Finnish Parliament has unanimously approved the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the United States.
The agreement does not imply a permanent US presence in Finland. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has insisted that any foreign troops deployed there will be stationed on a rotational basis.
Finland joined the North Atlantic Alliance on April 4, 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev the general director of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, Sputnik's parent company, that Sweden and Finland's incorporation into NAT was meaningless for their national interests.
He added that Finland's accession to the alliance would only mean Russia deploying more troops and strike systems near the Finnish border.
In recent years, Russia has noted unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders. NATO describes those manoeuvres as "deterrence of Russian aggression."
Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance's build-up in Europe. The Kremlin has stressed that Russia poses no threat to any nation but will not ignore actions that could potentially endanger its interests.