Finland to lead international bomb shelter coalition for Ukraine
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb and President Volodymyr Zelensky finalized a "civil protection coalition" on March 19, Zelensky told reporters during a press briefing.
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.
Details of the coalition will be outlined in the coming days. No additional information was provided as to how much funding would go into establishing additional air raid shelters.
The announcement comes after Zelensky arrived on a state visit to Finland on March 18 with First Lady Olena Zelenska.
"Our nations understand the realities of being neighbors with Russia. Finland has a long-standing tradition of effective civil protection measures, and today we discussed how to expand this expertise," Zelensky said.
Zelensky noted Finland's leadership in guiding the coalition is "extremely important" amid uncertainty in Russia's commitment to a partial ceasefire on civilian and energy infrastructure.
Finland previously announced that it would provide 660 million euros ($691 million) in military aid for Ukraine on Feb. 26.
"Finland will continue to provide strong assistance. We stand with Ukraine and will remain by its side for as long as necessary," Stubb said.
Finland alongside other Nordic and Baltic nations urged the EU earlier in the day to provide concrete steps to accelerate Ukraine's accession to the bloc.
