While Finland’s Eurovision representatives are boycotting Israeli media and leading a critical line against Israel’s participation in the contest, a successful visit by the largest-ever delegation of Israeli defense companies wrapped up this week in Helsinki.
The visit included a joint defense industry seminar and meetings with senior officials from the Finnish military and Defense Ministry. The gap between public and government sentiment in Finland, which supported the Palestinians during the war, and the close security relationship between the two countries could hardly be wider.
2 View gallery
Israel Aerospace Industries' Arrow missile and a Rafael-made Spike missile
(Photos: Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael)
The delegation, organized by SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Defense Ministry, led by Yair Kulas, included a record 32 Israeli companies, among them defense giants Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, as well as seven defense startups taking part for the first time. Over two days, company representatives held dozens of targeted meetings with about 20 Finnish defense companies, seeking to promote new deals and expand existing cooperation.
The main seminar was organized in cooperation with Finland’s Defense Ministry and the Association of Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries, or PIA. Prominent Finnish participants included Finland’s deputy chief of staff, the head of the defense procurement administration and the head of the defense industry association. The Finns presented the Israeli delegation with their military procurement and force buildup plans for the coming years, with the stated goal of expanding purchases from Israeli industries and deepening cooperation.
Finland’s interest is no coincidence. The country, which shares a long border with Russia, has significantly increased its military procurement since Russia invaded Ukraine, amid fears of a similar invasion of its own territory.
Finland has for years been an important customer of Israel’s defense industries, buying advanced weapons systems, including tank ammunition and missiles. In 2023, Finland signed a major deal to buy the David’s Sling air defense system from Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries at a cost of 1.3 billion shekels.
Major Israeli companies already have significant cooperation with Finnish firms: Elbit with Nammo, Israel Aerospace Industries with Millog, and Rafael with Insta. According to a Defense Ministry source, Finnish purchases from Israeli defense industries currently total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are trending upward.
2 View gallery
The meeting between the Israeli delegation and Finnish officials in Helsinki
(Photo: Omer Levin)
"We have a wonderful relationship with the Finnish Defense Ministry and many joint projects," Israel's Defense Ministry official said. "We reviewed industrial projects. The Finnish military has 23 projects underway with Israel’s defense industry. For them, the meeting was not just about procurement, but also about learning from Israel’s military approach and hearing about future projects. Finland’s deputy chief of staff and head of procurement gave us a briefing on their equipment and procurement needs."
SIBAT sees Finland as a strategic target beyond direct deals. "We see Finland as a potential production hub built to NATO standards, which would allow us to compete for NATO tenders and establish a manufacturing foothold in the Nordic countries," the official added. For Israel, Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, is a gateway to Europe as a whole, even as the public arena in Europe distances itself from Israel.
The contrast between public criticism of Israel and defense procurement underscores the European double standard: fierce public criticism and street protests on one side, and deep military dependence on Israeli weapons systems on the other. While Finnish citizens speak out against Israel, their military relies on Israeli defense systems to protect them from the Russian threat.