Finland’s aid to Ukraine amounts to almost EUR 3B
President Alexander Stubb of Finland says his country has already allocated almost EUR 3 billion in support for Ukraine.
He said this in Berlin during a joint statement with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.
"Finland has provided Ukraine with almost EUR 3 billion worth of support, including EUR 2 billion for defense equipment and EUR 1 billion for development," Stubb noted.
He confirmed his intention to participate in the Global Peace Summit to be held in Switzerland. "Of course, I will be there in person," said the head of Finland.
Scholz, in turn, thanked Finland for the decision regarding the latest support package for Ukraine. "We all understand: we must prepare for the fact that this war will last longer than we would like. That's why we support Ukraine together for as long as it takes," the chancellor said.
Stubb also held talks with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
He noted that the coming months will be very important in helping Ukraine. "We all have to do more," Stubb emphasized.
Steinmeier emphasized that Germany and Finland together help Ukraine resist the aggressor, in particular, by participating in the Czech initiative to procure artillery rounds. According to the president, the share of Germany in the initiative reaches 40%.
The president noted that Finland's accession to NATO strengthens the security of both of both nations. Finland has always been aware of the risks of being a neighbor to such an unpredictable and dangerous state as Russia, with which the border stretches for 1,340 km, Steinmeier noted, adding that Putin shows no intention of changing his aggressive behavior.
Both presidents also pointed to the need to strengthen countermeasures against Russian hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, etc.
As Ukrinform reported, Volodymyr Zelensky and Alexander Stubb signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement in Kyiv on April 3. Finland currently allocates about 0.25% of its GDP for aid to Ukraine, which puts it among the six largest donors.
Photo: President’s Office