Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said yesterday Monday that she is open to talks on the possibility of donating to Ukraine the F-18 fighters of her country’s Air Force that will soon be replaced by the more modern F-35s.

Kiev, which recently secured promises for deliveries of Western-made heavy tanks, notably the German-designed Leopard 2, is also asking for modern fighter jets to defend Ukrainian airspace, more than a year after the Russian military invaded on February 24, 2022.

Ukrainian military officials have hinted that they would prefer American-made F-16s, the most available, which are increasingly being replaced by more modern models.

Finland, which has a fleet of F/A-18 Hornets, announced in December 2021 an order for 64 F-35A (Lockheed Martin).

“We have the new F-35s arriving (…) When the old Hornets are retired, we can discuss their future use,” Ms Marin told reporters on Monday.

However, the Finnish Air Force is not expected to have its new fighter fleet in service until 2025.

Finland’s prime minister sparked an uproar in her country when she raised the possibility during a visit to Kiev on Friday.

“I think we can have a discussion about the Hornets, about the possibility of them being delivered to Ukraine, about the training that will be needed,” he said.

Her statements provoked criticism from the media, who pointed out that the issue had not been discussed with either the Ministry of Defense or the president of the country.

Petri Orpo, leader of the opposition, considered that the Prime Minister’s statements were “nonsense” and that she promised something that “she cannot keep”.