The United States announced approval of a $1.07 billion sale of advanced air-to-air missiles and related equipment to NATO ally Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, reported AFP.

“The proposed sale will enhance Finland’s ability to address current and future threats and will strengthen its interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces,” the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a press release.

According to DSCA, the deal will “support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a factor in political stability and economic progress in Europe.”

The State Department approved the potential sale of the missiles to Finland, and DSCA has sent the required notification to the U.S. Congress, which must still give its final approval.

Finland, along with Sweden, abandoned decades of military neutrality and joined NATO following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. | BGNES