'Putin Will Not Stop At Ukraine,' State Dept Says, As U.S. Signs Defense Cooperation Agreement With Finland

The United States said on Monday that it 'continues to be concerned' about Russia’s aggression broadly, as the Kremlin has shown a willingness and an eagerness to use military to conquer its neighbors by force.

"Of course we want to try to deter that," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told TURAN's Washington correspondent during a daily briefing.

He went on to add,  '... We don’t assess that Putin would be satisfied and would stop at Ukraine if he were able to ultimately conquer Ukraine and subjugate it to Russia. You have countries in Europe expressing this same concern.  It’s not a secret, I think, that, that was one of the motivating factors for Finland to join NATO and for Sweden to seek to join NATO"

Miller's comments came as the U.S. and Finland signed a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) at the State Department on Monday, enhancing military collaboration between the two countries by obligating Helsinki to open its military bases to U.S. forces and allowing the two militaries to conduct joint training, among other measures.

Similar pact has been signed with Sweden early this month, and another one should be signed with Denmark later this week.

"Finland knows almost better than anyone what is at stake for Ukraine. In 1939, the Finns also faced a Russian invasion and proved that a free nation can put up an incredibly powerful and resilient resistance," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Finnish counterpart during a signing ceremony on Monday.

He added, "Your history is also a reminder of why it’s so important that we all continue to stand with Ukraine, for autocrats who try to redraw one nation’s border by force almost certainly will not stop there.  And that’s precisely why we’ll continue to work together to defend the values of freedom, independence, and sovereignty that NATO and agreements like this one were created to protect in the first place."