France will contribute ground forces to NATO's multinational Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Finland. The announcement is made in a joint statement from France, Finland and Sweden during the NATO summit in Ankara.
According to the statement, France will participate in the rotational forces within FLF Finland with a combat unit integrated into the battalion group and deployed in the operational area. France will also exercise together with FLF Finland using various support capabilities based on the force's current requirements.
In a post on X, Finnish President Alexander Stubb states that the French presence will be rotation-based and not permanent.
"France is making forces available to NATO's Forward Land Forces Finland. Thank you for the good cooperation, President Macron and Prime Minister Kristersson," writes Stubb.
FLF Finland was formally established in June 2026 as NATO's ninth multinational Forward Land Forces.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomes France's decision to join FLF Finland in a post on X, noting that Sweden serves as the framework nation.
"I welcome France's decision today to join NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Finland, where Sweden is the framework nation," writes Kristersson.
Nordic Defence Sector reported in June that Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen announced that France had decided to join FLF Finland. The announcement was made in connection with the visit to Finland by French Chief of Defence Fabien Mandon, during which the two countries discussed deepened defence cooperation.