Finland will seek out more international partners to partake in the coalition and assist Ukraine in building shelters in the face of regular Russian aerial attacks. Ministers from Finland and Ukraine signed the agreement on March 19.
In a joint letter, the foreign ministers of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia called on Brussels to put forward "concrete proposals on how to decisively advance Ukraine's accession process."
President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Finland for an official visit on March 18. The plane carrying the couple landed at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in the afternoon.
Western leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine following a virtual summit hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on March 15, where leaders from 25 countries were in attendance.
Yan Petrovsky, co-leader of the Rusich paramilitary unit, was convicted of war crimes in Luhansk Oblast on Sept. 5, 2014, during Russia's invasion of Donbas.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen confirmed that the package includes artillery ammunition, citing Ukraine's urgent need for such supplies.
"The products will be delivered to Ukraine as part of future material aid packages," the news release from Finland's Defense Ministry noted, without specifying a timeline.
The Nordic governments' statements coincided with their leaders' visits to Kyiv on the anniversary of the beginning of the all-out war.
The fiber-optic cable, running between Finland and Germany, was damaged near the Gotland Island within the Swedish economic zone, Sweden's Coast Guard said.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has emphasized that Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and NATO is non-negotiable, adding that these alliances are essential for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and security.
Key developments on Jan. 31: * North Korean troops not seen for 3 weeks in parts of Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s Special Forces say * Ukraine deploys long-range drone capable of 2,000 km strike, military says * Ukrainian drones strike "one of 10 largest oil refineries in Russia," military says * Russian missiles
This brings Finland's total defense aid provided to Ukraine since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 to 2.5 billion euros ($2.6 billion).
The Finnish company Insta describes the system as a combination of an "explosive charge and a drone." The drone can be used to transport an explosive charge that can detonate above a target.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea region has faced numerous disruptions to power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines.
"We are supporting Ukraine's NATO membership further down the line and hopefully not in (the) too-distant future," Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Jan. 8.
The Ukrainian president argued that the absence of NATO membership and concrete security guarantees contributed to Russia’s decision to launch the full-scale invasion.
The meeting, co-organized by Finland and Estonia, will focus on enhancing NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to risks posed by Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a group of tankers allegedly used for sanction evasion and espionage.
A fleet of up to 10 NATO vessels will guard the infrastructure under the Baltic Sea until April, the Finnish broadcaster YLE reported on Jan. 7 after several cables were cut in suspected sabotage.
The Helsinki District Court has ruled to keep the oil tanker — suspected of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" — under seizure, despite an appeal from the ship's owner.
The damaged cable is one of several recent incidents in the Baltic Sea under investigation as possible acts of sabotage.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Dec. 27 that "NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea" following the recent damage to the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland likely caused by Russia.
The Estlink 2, an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia, was seriously damaged on Christmas Day. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible act of sabotage.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced 170 million euros ($178 million) in financial support for six European countries bordering Russia and Belarus to bolster their border protection efforts.
A Finnish court began trial on Dec. 5 for Yan Petrovsky, a Russian neo-Nazi mercenary, for war crimes he allegedly committed while leading a Russian neo-Nazi unit in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2015.
Telecom cables linking two Nordic countries with Germany and Lithuania were cut on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, raising suspicion of sabotage, various media outlets reported on Nov. 18.
The governments of Norway, Sweden, and Finland have begun the distribution of informative pamphlets to citizens, providing them with advice in case of the outbreak of war or other emergency situations, BBC reported on Nov. 17.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen urged Western leaders to refrain from making additional phone calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent call, Valtonen said on German TV on Nov. 17.
A new political museum at the same site will open on Feb. 15, 2025, Finnish authorities announced. The museum will reportedly focus on Finnish-Russian relations, including developments in the 21st century.
According to a ruling in 2023 by the Permanent Arbitration Court based in The Hague, Russia is obliged to pay $5 billion to Naftogaz Group as compensation for assets illegally seized during the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014.
The Western countries are growing tired of their support of Ukraine, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen warned, calling for stronger resolve in backing Kyiv, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 15.
Finland joined NATO early 2023 after ditching its longstanding neutral stance following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Norway is considering building fencing along the country's border with Russia amid ongoing concerns over migrant crossings, Norway's Justice Minister Emily Anger Mel said in an interview with Norway's NRK media outlet.
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