The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reports that the Pentagon denied the request for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs, which was part of a package of modernizing equipment that Finland is seeking from the US.
So far the US has only sold these missiles to Australia, one of its closest allies.
The newspaper says that arms deals are usually a good measure of bi-lateral relations, and that the United States' refusal to sell the requested missiles is an indication that the relationship between Finland and the US is not as good as it could be.
Other parts of the modernizing package, however, were approved, including the purchase of another type of missile designed to destroy radar installations.
Commander of the Finnish Air Force, Lt. General Heikki Lyytinen, says that Finland is now considering whether to renew its request for the JASSMs. He says the Air Force wants to acquire a long-range air-to-surface missile, and the JASSM, which has a range of more than 320 kilometres, fits the bill perfectly.
Helsingin Sanomat, YLE
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