Wadephul courts understanding in Finland for landmine plans and sees Helsinki as a role model for civil protection

At the joint press appearance, Valtonen appealed in German for understanding of this step: „Wir hoffen auf das Verständnis unserer engsten Partner.“ The mines were to be deployed exclusively along the border with Russia and used only if the situation dramatically escalated. „Es geht darum, diese Fähigkeit einsetzen zu können, aber nur im Kriegsfall,“ she explained.

Background: The Ottawa Convention and its limits

Wadephul, who by his own admission had underestimated the length of the Finnish-Russian border, showed himself open to the Finnish argument. „Das war mir gar nicht bewusst,“ he said with reference to the 1,340 kilometers of border. A „völlig neue Bedrohungslage“ required a serious engagement with the security needs of the partner country. At the same time, he affirmed: „Die Ottawa-Konvention bleibt aus humanitären und rüstungspolitischen Gründen von hoher Bedeutung.“

The German foreign minister also warned against German know-it-all attitudes. „Ich glaube, es ist nicht richtig, hier als deutscher Oberlehrer aufzutreten,“ Wadephul said. One had to acknowledge „dass die Situation sicherheitspolitisch so ist, wie unsere Partner sie hier in dieser Situation interpretieren“.

Large parts of Finland have been prepared for decades for a possible military threat from the east. Wadephul was impressed by the „unaufgeregten, aber doch sehr konzentrierten Art und Weise, wie die Bevölkerung insgesamt Widerstandsfähigkeit lernt, sich aneignet und das auch immer wieder übt“ and added: „Davon können wir uns eine gehörige Scheibe abschneiden als Deutsche.“ This applied in particular to traditional civil protection, which had been neglected in Germany in recent years.

Point of contention weapon effects: humanitarian concerns versus deterrence

During the visit, according to ZDF correspondent Andreas Kynast, Wadephul was shown the border patrol vessel „Turva." Valtonen, who grew up in Bonn and speaks German, underscored the European dimension of border security: „Es ist nicht nur im Interesse Finnlands, sondern im Interesse von ganz Europa, dass diese Grenze sicher bleibt."

The humanitarian consequences of antipersonnel mines were also addressed. Eoin Micheal McNamara, security expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, described the weapons as „nicht die präzisesten, sie reagieren auf Körperwärme und zünden dann. Aber Grausamkeit ist natürlich ein Teil der Abschreckung." Anyone who did not wish to experience this cruelty should „nicht in fremdes Gebiet eindringen oder gar einmaschieren," according to McNamara.

Civil protection as a lesson: what Germany can adopt from Finland

The discussion comes at a time when Ukraine is considered one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. According to expert assessment, „eine Fläche so groß wie Deutschland mit Minen und Blindgängern verseucht," and their clearance will take „Jahrhunderte." Russia and the United States never signed the Ottawa Convention of 1997.

Wadephul had previously described Finland as a „großes Vorbild" for civil protection. With his visit, he combined recognition of Finnish security policy with an admission of Germany's own catch-up needs. Close coordination with Helsinki is regarded in Berlin as an important building block of a European deterrence and defense strategy vis-à-vis Russia.

It remained unclear after the meeting whether and when Berlin will officially endorse or merely tolerate Finland's acquisition of antipersonnel mines. Foreign ministries in several European capitals are closely watching the Finnish step with regard to their own security architecture on NATO's eastern flank.