Defense minister outlines military, financial plans for 2025 with Baltic, Nordic Allies

Defense Minister Serhii Boiev held talks with representatives of the foreign ministries of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden to outline plans for military and financial assistance to Ukraine in 2025, the Defense Ministry reported on its website on Nov. 14.

During the meeting, the parties reviewed the results of this year's cooperation and identified priorities for assistance to Ukraine in the coming year.

Boiev also briefed the delegates on the operational situation at the front and shared details of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Victory Plan.

He reiterated Ukraine's position that an invitation to NATO membership is an integral part of the country's long-term security guarantees and highlighted the strengthening of air and missile defenses, the formation of military reserves, and support for the defense industry as critical areas of focus.

“Comprehensive defense of Ukraine remains our main task, and in addition to stabilizing the situation at the front, we need to be confident in the volume of assistance for 2025,” he said.

The meeting also addressed concerns about North Korea's possible military involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine. The Baltic representatives expressed concern about the growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea, following updated intelligence reports provided by Ukraine.

The potential for strengthening EU sanctions against Russia as part of the upcoming 16th round of sanctions was another key topic of discussion.

On the defense industry front, Boev expressed gratitude to the countries participating in the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) for their role in training Ukrainian forces and highlighted the capabilities of domestic manufacturers, urging greater cooperation with partner nations to increase Ukraine's defense production capacity.

This followed a Nov. 27 statement by the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden pledging to increase their support for Ukraine in response to Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion and a Nov. 13 commitment by the U.S. to tighten restrictions until the next administration takes office.

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The Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar Gyori