Finland deepens budget deficit for security in Ukraine war response

The Finnish government on Tuesday agreed on a budget deficit of 7.4 billion euros for 2023 and decided to finance investments in national security with a separate budget in response to the war in Ukraine, the government said on Tuesday.

The investments in strengthening Finland's security will amount to approximately two billion euros over several years, Finance minister Annika Saarikko told a press conference.

The government said it will steer money from the security budget towards strengthening defence, national emergency supply, and energy security, among other things.