Helsinki: Finland’s Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen said a discussion about the possible transfer of Finnish fighters abroad is “currently irrelevant”.
Kaikkonen made the remarks during a TV interview on Ukraine’s call for negotiations on handing over F/A-18 Hornet fighters, reports Xinhua news agency.
“The fighter jets will be used by our defence forces for the coming years, after which their life cycle will end,” Kaikkonen was quoted as saying.
The Defence Minister said that Finland had responded to Ukraine’s request last week.
The matter became public when Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early March.
During their meeting, Marin told Zelensky that it should be possible to discuss the handover of the fighter jets.
However, both President Sauli Niinisto and Kaikkonen said they were not aware of the matter in advance.
Soon after, Ukraine officially asked Finland for the possible transfer of the jets.
–IANS
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