Sanna Marin’s offer of fighter jets for Ukraine catches Finland off guard

Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland, has been accused of offering fighter jets to Ukraine without first discussing it with the government, the president or military.

Ms Marin, who faces elections next month, suggested on a surprise trip to Kyiv that Finland could donate the planes.

The centre-Left politician was criticised for ignoring a constitutional obligation to consult on foreign policy and security matters and making the visit so close to the April 2 vote.

In Ukraine, Ms Marin said Finland could donate some of its 62 F/A-18 Hornet fighters, which will soon be replaced by 64 F-35A jets.

"The discussions are in the very early stages," said Ms Marin, as she raised Ukrainian hopes that Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands for jets from the West could be met.

But Sauli Niinistö, Finland’s president, told the Finnish News Agency there “has been no discussion with anyone”.

Antti Kaikkonen, the defence minister, who is from a different party to Ms Marin, said Finland needed the planes and he had no idea what she was planning.

The comments also surprised the heads of the defence and foreign affairs committees, Finnish media reported.

Maj Gen Juha-Pekka Keränen, air force commander, told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper the plans had not been discussed with the military. He said that the jets would be needed until new F-35s are ready in about 2030.

Finland, which borders Russia, decided to ditch decades of non-alignment to apply to join Nato after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, launched his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Ms Marin, 37, is one of Putin’s fiercest critics in the EU. She is tipped as a possible candidate for the next European Commission president.

Polls show she is the most popular prime minister in 30 years, but her Social Democrats are trailing the centre-Right National Coalition Party.

Ms Marin, dubbed the “coolest prime minister in the world” by Germany’s Bild newspaper, is no stranger to controversy.

She took a drug test to prove she was clean after videos of her dancing and drinking with friends were leaked online last year.

Last month, she told Finns they could vote her out of office because of the leaked videos of “if they want” and said she was “still dancing, and drinking occasionally”.