The Finnish government has decided to allocate €100 million for the purchase of weapons from the US for transfer to Ukraine, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced on Thursday.
“On Thursday, the government decided to allocate €100 million to support Ukraine by purchasing weapons from the US. This is a NATO-coordinated support package called PURL. Finland is participating in a joint support package for the Baltic and Northern European countries, which is planned to be delivered to Ukraine in the near future,” the Finnish prime minister said, as quoted by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
“The situation in Ukraine is critical. Yes, we must participate. We cannot stand aside when all the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltic States are involved,” he stressed.
According to Orpo, the funding will be provided through external borrowing and Finland’s budget will not be revised, “even though it will increase the debt.”
The initiative to finance the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine came after the US administration refused to continue supplying weapons to Kyiv free of charge. In August, four packages of American weapons were prepared for a total amount of about $2 billion. The financing was provided by Germany, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
On August 15, at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, and Iceland announced their decision to join the program. In October, Spain also announced its participation.
US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an agreement on Monday on joint projects for the extraction of rare earth metals.
“Over the next six months, the US and Australia will jointly invest more than $3 billion in projects involving critical metals, with the value of the resources that can be extracted estimated at $53 billion,” according to a White House press release.
It does not specify where exactly the extraction is planned to take place.
In addition, the Pentagon plans to invest in the construction of a gallium processing plant in Western Australia with a capacity of 100 tons per year, the US administration noted.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center analyzed the global market for rare earth metals in the world and Ukraine. The video is available here: https://youtu.be/UHeBfpywpQc?si=0L-2nSUrLlIbqVZ5?si=Fk6Oi_13NKpEW81K
According to the results of a study conducted by Active Group and Experts Club in August 2025, Ukrainians rated the role of European Union countries in promoting peace in Ukraine the highest.
According to the survey, 42.0% of respondents believe that the EU (primarily France and Germany) is making the greatest contribution to the peace process. 25.8% of respondents noted the key role of the United States, and 12.8% noted the key role of the United Kingdom. At the same time, 11.7% of Ukrainians believe that no country is contributing to the establishment of peace, while 5.8% were unable to decide on an answer. Significantly fewer respondents noted other countries: China — 1.3%, India — 0.5%, Brazil — 0.2%.
“The results show that Ukrainians rate the diplomatic and political efforts of the EU and the US highest. Together with the UK, these countries form the main international triangle of trust for Ukrainian society,” said Active Group Director Oleksandr Pozniy.
Maksim Urakin, co-founder of Experts Club, emphasized the economic dimension of the partnership.
“For our country, it is important not only to have a political partnership with the EU, the US, and the UK, but also an economic one. China, on the other hand, despite its leadership in trade with Ukraine, remains on the periphery of the peace process,” he said.
The survey was part of a large-scale project by Active Group and Experts Club to study Ukraine’s international image and foreign policy orientations.
ACTIVE GROUP, CHINA, EU, EXPERTS CLUB, peace in Ukraine, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, UK, URAKIN, US
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced the deployment (mobilization) of up to 4–4.5 million Bolivarian National Police officers in response to “threats from the US” and the build-up of American military presence in the Caribbean. This was reported by international media outlets, including El País, CBS News, and Al Jazeera.
According to the publications, Maduro’s statement came after the US decided to double the reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction to $50 million. The US State Department and the Associated Press/PBS agencies reported on the increase in the reward.
El País and other sources also note that Venezuela’s mobilization was a response to the deployment of US destroyers and other forces near the country’s coast, which has increased tensions in the region. Washington had previously accused Maduro of involvement in international drug trafficking and related crimes; the decision to increase the reward was announced this month.
American and international analytical publications note the growing military and political rhetoric on both sides and warn of the risks of further escalation. At the same time, there is no independent confirmation of the start of a “war” between the US and Venezuela; we are talking about mobilization steps and increased readiness against the backdrop of political confrontation.
The White House is looking for a venue for a possible meeting at the end of next week, where the US, Russia, and Ukraine could discuss resolving the conflict — with Ukraine actively demanding its participation in any negotiations.
CBS News representatives confirm that the US administration is looking for a venue for a meeting between Presidents Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, which could take place as early as next week.
The summit between Trump and Putin is scheduled for August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska, which the US administration is calling a fact-finding meeting, with no clear promises to end the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the parties discussed the current diplomatic situation and the opportunities it opens up.
“President Erdogan confirmed his country’s readiness to organize a summit between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, Russia, and Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
According to him, Erdogan said that any negotiations without Ukraine would not bring stable peace.
“We all understand the risks and threats equally. A fake, rather than honest, peace will certainly not last long and will encourage Russia to seize even more territory. I noted that we are ready for any format of meeting in order to stop the killings and end the war,” the Ukrainian president added.
The parties also discussed high-level events that Ukraine is preparing during the UN General Assembly and Turkey’s participation in them.
According to the Turkish Presidency’s Twitter page, during the conversation, which took place at the request of the Ukrainian side, bilateral relations between Turkey and Ukraine, as well as regional and global issues, were discussed.
“Recognizing the valuable progress achieved in direct talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, President Erdogan expressed his hope that the next rounds of talks would yield meaningful results for a ceasefire on the path to lasting peace. Noting that Turkey is ready to host a summit at the leadership level, President Erdogan expressed his conviction that the establishment of working groups in the military, humanitarian, and political spheres will pave the way for the summit,” the statement said.
Erdogan also stressed that Turkey continues to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
As reported, last Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that his meeting with Vladimir Putin would take place on August 15 in Alaska.
