Skip to content
Edit post

Finnish PM arrives in Kyiv, 18th military aid package to be announced

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 23, 2023 2:01 PM 2 min read
Petteri Orpo, Finland's prime minister, left, and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, host a joint news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 23 ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day.

"Finland is a reliable defender of normal life in our Europe and the rules-based international order," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.  

Orpo said that his country's "support for Ukraine and its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity will continue over the long-term.”

At a joint press conference with Zelensky, Orpo said that his government is preparing to send its 18th defense package to Ukraine and details will be announced this week.

The 17th military aid package from Finland was announced on July 6 and was worth around €105 million ($114 million).  

Finland’s overall support to Ukraine is worth over €1.7 billion ($1.84 billion), according to a press release from the Finnish government.

The press release added that "Ukraine is Finland’s largest partner country in development cooperation, and Finland is preparing for the country’s reconstruction."

The prime minister visited housing units in Irpin, which had been built though a Finnish project and provide accommodation to 200 Ukrainians who have lost their homes since the invasion began.

In June, the Finnish parliament voted the center-right politician in as prime minister, replacing Sanna Marin, whose center-left party came third in the country's April general election. Marin visited Kyiv in March 2023.

Orpo joins the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who also arrived in the capital on Aug. 23.

The visits were not announced beforehand for security reasons.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian pilots start F-16 training in Denmark; Poll shows 90% of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions to Russia
Key developments on Aug. 22: * 8 Ukrainian pilots and 65 personnel begin F-16 training in Denmark * Poll: 90% of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions to Russia * Ukraine receives another 1.5 billion euros in budget support from EU * Putin reportedly fires air force chief * Russia claims d…

News Feed

7:53 PM

Trump holds talks with Zelensky following his 1.5-hour-long conversation with Putin.

The conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make peace. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the war, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
5:23 PM

Russia's growing shadow fleet sends a dangerous signal, expert warns.

Russia has resorted to a "shadow fleet" to transport its oil and gas to get around Western sanctions and price caps. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative, to find out what options the West has and how dangerous the shadow fleet actually is.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.