Inspection visit of the Commander of the French Land Forces in Sodankylä and his meeting with the Commander of the Finnish Army

The Commander of the Finnish Army, Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki met the Commander of the French Land Forces, Lieutenant General Philippe de Montenon in Helsinki on 18 May 2026.

During the meeting, the commanders discussed topical issues, including the UNIFIL Operation, the situation in Ukraine and provision of support to the country as well as development of new capabilities.  

Lieutenant General de Montenon had recently conducted a visit to Sodankylä to inspect his troops: French mountain jaegers have been rehearsing operating in Northern circumstances together with both Finnish and other Allies since February. The cooperation has been fruitful for both sides and resulted in ideas for development in the future.  

The discussions also touched upon NATO’s different activities in Finland and the cooperation opportunities related to them. The final topics discussed included the introduction of unmanned systems, prospects of the NATO Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, and the impacts and requirements of the circumstances in the North for the development of systems. 

- Our cooperation in the UNIFIL Operation has been systematic and strong.  By working together, we have built trust which also shows in this spring’s activities and exercises in Northern Finland.  We arrived at a preliminary agreement to develop cooperation in the years to come.  We will work on the compatibility of our troops and the ability to operate together in the circumstances of the North. Training and testing equipment in the North are the only ways of learning to operate here, Lieutenant General Välimäki emphasised.