Most members of Finnish Parliament do not support sending troops to Ukraine

Finnish media broadcaster Yle has surveyed the country’s MPs on whether they support the deployment of EU states troops in Ukraine, and the majority opposed this idea. 

According to Yle, in total, 103 out of 200 Finnish MPs participated in the survey. Only 11 lawmakers supported sending soldiers from the EU countries to Ukraine, if it were at the edge of a military defeat.

Over 50 MPs spoke against this idea, and more than 40 did not decide on their stance. 

Many MPs are afraid that military presence of the EU countries may lead to escalation and spreading of the war.

"Basically, we need to avoid direct military confrontation between the EU and Russia. Such a hypothetical question (about Ukraine's possible defeat) should not be asked," said Kimmo Kiljunen, chairman of the Finnish Committee for Foreign Affairs.

The supporters of sending troops believe that Ukraine’s defeat would lead to catastrophic consequences in Europe. For instance, Atte Harjanne, MP of the Green League, clings to this belief.

"The troops of the EU countries could be used, for instance, for military training. Perhaps, on the border with Belarus and Moldova, thus giving the Ukrainian forces the opportunity to switch to other operations, and strengthening the air defence of Ukraine. So, there are other options, apart from direct involvement of the EU countries in combat action,"  he stated.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb noted earlier that he saw no reasons for sending Finnish troops to Ukraine.

In February, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue concerning a possible deployment of Western troops in Ukraine in the future.