France to send troops to NATO mission in Finland

France will send ground forces to a Swedish-led NATO mission in Finland, France, Finland and Sweden said on July 8.

The three countries said in a joint statement that France would contribute to rotations of Forward Land Forces Finland, including a battle unit. They did not specify the size of the French deployment.

France will also provide training for the mission, which was formally established in June and is aimed at strengthening NATO defences around the alliance's newest members.

French President Emmanuel Macron said French soldiers would help ensure security in the High North. Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said Nordic countries, the United Kingdom, France and Italy had announced over the past year that they would contribute to developing the mission.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the French decision but said many details still needed to be worked out, including where the French contribution would be physically located.

The core of the mission will be 600 Swedish soldiers based in Boden, Sweden, and able to move rapidly to Rovaniemi, Finland. NATO decided in 2024 to establish a new multinational rapid reaction presence in Finland.