HELSINKI: The Finnish Parliament on Monday unanimously approved a defence pact with the United States, which will allow enhanced US military presence and storage of defence material in Finland.

The Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) had been signed by the Finnish government in December.

Aimed to strengthen Finland’s security and defence capabilities, the agreement comes after the Nordic country joined NATO in April 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finland’s relations with neighbouring Russia, with whom it shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border, have become increasingly tense after Finland joined the alliance last year.