Ukraine, Finland sign long-term security agreement
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, signed in Kyiv a 10-year security agreement between the two countries, Zelensky announced on April 3.
Zelensky called it a "strong document that proves Finland's readiness to continue supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression."
Apart from Finland, Kyiv has already signed bilateral security deals with seven other countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands. The agreements are based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July.
Helsinki will provide Ukraine with long-term military and financial assistance, according to the agreement. The two nations also are expected to deepen cooperation in the fields of politics, finances, reform, and in the humanitarian sphere.
The two countries agreed that Finland would participate in rebuilding Ukraine's energy sector, assessing environmental damage, and strengthening border and critical infrastructure protection. Medical treatment of Ukrainian military personnel is also included in the deal.
Finland further announced its 23rd defense aid package to Kyiv worth 188 million euros ($200 million). This brings the total military aid provided to Ukraine by the Nordic country to around 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion).
As with the previous tranches, Helsinki did not reveal the content of its most recent package for security reasons.
Finland has already joined the artillery and demining collations, one of many allied initiatives launched under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to support individual areas of Ukraine's Armed Forces, and is considering to participate in others, "taking into account its capabilities and Ukraine's military needs," according to the deal.
Daniil Ukhorskiy
