The troops blend in well with their surroundings as they prepare for battle, in a US-led military exercise designed to hone tactics and a rapid response in case of conflict in the Arctic region.

Some 900 troops from Finland, the United States and Canada are all involved in "Arctic Forge 25", which began on February 14 and ends on Friday, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the border.

Practising Arctic warfare is now seen as essential for NATO allies, with the area of increasing interest to the United States, as well as Russia and China, and after indications of a US policy switch on European defence.

Temperatures in the region tend to drop to around -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) at this time of the year but this winter it has been unusually mild at -1C.

Focusing on keeping dry and warm around the clock, Julius Kallinen, 19, a tank gunner and conscript from the Finnish Jaegar Brigade, underlined the importance of survival skills in the harsh weather conditions.

"Anything can happen here, you can fall into a frozen lake or a swamp," he said as he set up his platoon's base and others dug foxholes in the damp knee-high snow.

"You need to know how to warm yourself up, because pretty quickly when it's minus 30 degrees you can go into hypothermia."

- Readiness -

Foreign troops have become a common sight in the village of Sodankyla, which is home to about 8,000 people.

A growing number of military exercises have taken place since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia, and joined NATO in 2023, dropping decades of military non-alignment.

The Nordic nation also signed a bilateral defence pact with the United States last year.

"Bringing together war fighters from Finland, Canada, and the United States to practise this and hone our skills is incredibly important to increasing our Arctic vitality and readiness," said Daniel Ludwig, commander of the US troops.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen confirmed in February that NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) will be stationed in Sodankyla and the nearby city of Rovaniemi.

The FLF forces are stationed in allied countries during peacetime to train with national forces.

Meanwhile, NATO's new headquarters for the Northern European land command unit will be established in Mikkeli in eastern Finland.

- 'Strong power' -

US President Donald Trump's sudden shift on Ukraine, pursuing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sidelining Ukraine and Europe from discussions, has shaken the alliance.

Trump has also signalled that United States might withdraw troops and military capabilities from Europe, transferring the onus on defence to the continent itself.

That has caused European alarm but Iro Sarkka, a researcher at the Finnish Institute for Foreign Affairs, doubted Washington would turn the words into reality.

Instead, she told AFP, it seemed "more likely that the US will move more troops out of Europe, or move them from one country to another within Europe".

Sarkka said the United States appeared to be shifting its military focus from Central Europe to the Asia Pacific as well as the Arctic region.

China and Russia are also eyeing the Arctic region, which has massive unexploited reserves of oil, gas and critical minerals.

"At the same time, the United States wants to show that it is a strong power in the Arctic region, which is why they are interested in Greenland," Sarkka added.

Colonel Ari Mure, deputy commander at the Jaeger Brigade and the director of the exercise, is confident that Finland will get allied support should the worst happen.

"I still believe that we will get help from NATO members if needed," he said.