She did not say this: The Finnish Foreign Minister got into a scandal

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told members of the US Congress who arrived in the country that sending Finnish officers to Greenland was a "misunderstanding." This is stated in a telegram sent from the US Embassy in Helsinki on January 20, Yle reports with reference to Politico.

Politico writes that it has gained access to the diplomatic correspondence of the US State Department related to the situation around Greenland, in which Valtonen is also mentioned.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry rejected this interpretation, Yle notes. Valtonen did not say that it was a mistake to send the officers to the island itself, but it was about the fact that in There was a misunderstanding in Washington about the objectives of this mission, explained the head of the political department of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Petri Hakkarainen.

Politico also claims that Valtonen spoke about Finland's lack of action plans "against the Americans" and that the deployed officers have already returned to the country. In addition, the publication cites her critical statements about the trade policy of the European Union and the threats of retaliatory duties against the United States. The Finnish government declined to comment on the allegations.

The diplomatic correspondence underscores the continued key importance of the United States for Europe, despite growing disagreements, Politico notes.

In January, Finland announced the dispatch of two liaison officers to Greenland. This happened shortly after the White House announced that the United States was considering, among other things, military options to establish control over Greenland. The officers were sent at the invitation of Denmark in preparation for NATO exercises. Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands also participated in them, and the United States was invited as an ally in the alliance. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkianen stressed that the exercises are not aimed at sending political signals within NATO, recalls Rulehti.