Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov held a bilateral meeting on Thursday, during which they announced a 28-package military aid package for Ukraine worth EUR 200 million, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries, the press service of the Finnish Ministry of Defense reports.
“Three years of war against Russia have made the Ukrainian armed forces one of the strongest in Europe. At the same time, the country has gained extensive experience in defending itself against Russia. Therefore, it is obvious that when developing our own defense, we must listen carefully to the lessons of Ukraine and rely on their experience,” Häkkänen said.
It is noted that the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding between Finland and Ukraine is to deepen defense cooperation, and the areas of closer cooperation include defense materials, information exchange, research and innovation, ammunition production, and defense-related projects in Finland and Ukraine.
In addition, at the meeting, Finland announced another 28th arms aid package to Ukraine, worth about EUR 200 million, which is still pending approval by the Finnish government and president.
“As before, the content of the aid package is not disclosed in detail. However, we can say that this time it includes, among other things, artillery ammunition, which is in great demand. It is a huge achievement that there is broad political support and national unity in our country to help Ukraine. It is also important that we have been able to combine support for Ukraine with strengthening domestic supply security through the industrial support program,” Heikkanen said.
It is also reported that in January, Finland decided on the 27th aid package worth almost EUR 200 million. In late February, Finland announced an industrial program worth EUR 660 million to order new defense equipment from the Finnish defense industry to support Ukraine.
With the implementation of the latest decisions, the total value of Finland’s material assistance will increase to EUR 3.3 billion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland has decided to allocate humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the amount of 16 million euros.
According to the Finnish Foreign Ministry, the aid will be provided through UN humanitarian agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“Finland has been supporting Ukraine’s humanitarian needs since the first day of Russia’s invasive war and will continue to do so. The need for humanitarian aid in Ukraine is enormous and our assistance is important,” said Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.
Finland also provides assistance to address the serious refugee crises in Africa and the humanitarian situation in the Middle East. Finland is providing €2 million in support of the World Food Program (WFP) operation in Sudan, €2.5 million to the WFP operation in Gaza, and €2 million to the UNHCR regional refugee operation in Syria, among other operations. Support is also provided to Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes and Sahel regions. In Asia, Finland supports Afghanistan and Myanmar through the International Red Cross Movement.
Finland is also providing €2 million to fund the work of the World Food Program and UNHCR on the inclusion of people with disabilities. The assistance is targeted at people with disabilities, who are often in the most vulnerable situation. In addition, 2 million euros are being provided to develop WFP’s school feeding activities and support school feeding, especially in Africa.
In addition to these decisions, Finland provides core funding to multilateral humanitarian organizations. In addition, preparations are underway for humanitarian assistance to be channelled through Finnish civil society organizations. The rest of the humanitarian funding from the budget will be provided later this year.
Finland has announced the allocation of €20.5 million to support the Ukrainian education system, the Ministry of Education and Science reports.
“20 million euros will be used to support educational reform in Ukraine as part of a project that will run from 2025 to 2028. The cooperation project was developed jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland, and the Finnish National Agency for Education,” the ministry said in a statement.
In addition, Finland will provide 500 thousand euros to support the World Food Program (WFP) school feeding program in Ukraine.
According to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi, the Finnish government has been one of the key partners in education reform since 2018.
“We have many joint programs aimed at strengthening the social protection of students and providing them with psychosocial support,” he added.
The governments of Ukraine and Finland have signed a Framework Agreement under which Finland will mobilize up to EUR 50 million next year for projects financed under the Finnish-Ukrainian Investment Fund (FUIF) program, according to a press release from the Ministry of Finance.
“Under the agreement, loans of up to EUR 50 million are planned for 2025. Further implementation of the Program will involve the conclusion of relevant loan agreements to determine the amount, terms and conditions of loans,” the release said.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Ukraine by Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko, while the signatory on behalf of Finland was Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.
It is specified that the grant component of the project will amount to at least 35% of the total cost, which will provide preferential financing terms.
In addition, the ministers discussed current development programs and support for Ukraine’s recovery with the assistance of Finland. Marchenko emphasized the importance of cooperation within the framework of the Ukrainian Donor Platform, whose steering committee Finland joined in April 2024 as an observer.
In his turn, Tavio emphasized that the most promising sectors for investment and recovery for the Finnish side are energy, education, infrastructure, digital technologies and agriculture.
The Ministry of Finance reminded that Finland’s direct budget support since February 2022 has amounted to more than $36 million in grant funding.
The Helsinki District Court has satisfied the petition of Naftogaz Ukrainy and five other companies of the group and seized certain assets owned by Russia in Finland, the company’s press service said on Monday. According to its data, it is about real estate and other assets, which are estimated at tens of millions of dollars.
“This decision is part of Naftogaz’s global strategy to recover compensation for the damage caused by the seizure of assets of group companies in Crimea in accordance with the decision of the Hague arbitration,” the report said.
The company specified that this is also the first publicly known successful seizure of assets outside of Ukraine in fulfillment of the arbitral award on cases on claims of Ukrainian companies to Russia because of the expropriation of property in Crimea in 2014.
The decision is an interim step towards the actual recovery of assets in favor of Naftogaz. At the same time, interest stipulated for non-payment of funds under the arbitration award continues to accrue until the compensation is paid in full.
“Since Russia refuses to voluntarily pay Naftogaz the funds stipulated by the Hague ruling, we continue to use all available mechanisms to recover them. Today we have stood one step closer to restoring justice. At the same time, we are taking active steps to enforce the arbitration award in other target jurisdictions where there are Russian assets,” the head of the group, Oleksiy Chernyshev, said.
In Finland, Naftogaz is being represented pro bono by attorneys Mikko Leppa and Tatu Jaarinen of HPP Attorneys, supported by Covington & Burling, acting as lead legal counsel to coordinate Naftogaz’s international enforcement efforts.
As reported, in October 2016, Naftogaz and its subsidiaries initiated arbitration proceedings against Russia for damages due to the seizure of their assets in Crimea, and in September 2017 an application was filed with the tribunal at the Court of Justice in The Hague.
The Arbitration Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in April 2023 ordered the Russian Federation to pay Naftogaz Ukrainy $5 billion for damages caused by the seizure of assets of Naftogaz group companies in Crimea in 2014.
Finland will send a new military aid package to Ukraine, a decision made by the president on June 28 on the proposal of the government.
According to the website of the Finnish Ministry of Defense, this is the 24th delivery of defense equipment from Finland to Ukraine. It is estimated that the replacement of the equipment included in this shipment will cost Finland approximately 159 million euros. The total value of defense equipment supplied by Finland to Ukraine is EUR 2.2 billion.
“Finland intends to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s unjustified aggression. It is not only about Ukraine, but also about the right of all free nations to their ultimate existence. We, the Finns, have learned from our own history how important this issue is,” said Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.
The ministry noted that Finland is also participating in the Czech initiative for joint procurement of ammunition. Finland has also decided to participate in an armored coalition led by Poland, Germany and Italy, and an information technology coalition led by Estonia and Luxembourg. The purpose of the international coalitions is to provide long-term support to Ukraine.
“For operational reasons and to ensure the safe delivery of aid, its exact content, methods and timing are not disclosed. When providing assistance, both the needs of Ukraine and the state of the resources of the Defense Forces are taken into account,” the Defense Ministry said.
