Finland’s defense minister said on Thursday that he does not want to give Ukraine Hornet fighter jets, despite Ukraine’s request to provide such aircraft to fight Russia, but will send three more Leopard battle tanks, Reuters reported.

“I believe, as the defense minister of Finland, that we need these Hornets (aircraft) for the security of our own country,” Antti Kaikkonen told a press conference in Helsinki.

“I feel negative about the idea of ​​donating in the next few years. And if we look even further, I understand that they are starting to wear out and will have little value,” he said.

Finland is replacing its aging Hornet fleet with the F-35 fighter jets it ordered in 2021, but delivery of the first new planes is still two to three years away.

However, Finland will provide Ukraine with additional military equipment, including three more Leopard 2 tanks, in addition to a similar donation made earlier, Kaikkonen told a news conference.

The possibility of Finland providing fighter jets to Ukraine to help it fight the Russian invasion came up during a recent trip by Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Asked by a journalist whether Ukraine should donate fighter jets, Marin said that Finland should discuss whether these planes could be suitable for this purpose, but did not make any promises.

Kaikkonen said Ukraine had approached Finland to discuss the possibility of giving Finland some of its Hornet jets.

Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, has just under 200 Leopard 2 tanks.