President Alexander Stubb has approved another military aid shipment to Ukraine, Finland's 27th since the Russian attack began nearly three years ago. He signed off on the government proposal on Friday.
The latest package is worth almost 200 million euros. It brings the total value of the defence equipment delivered by Finland to Ukraine to 2.5 billion euros since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
"We are providing exactly the kind of support that will help Ukraine defend itself in an acute situation on the front. The grip must not be weakened, but on the contrary, at this very moment the support must be further strengthened. I have discussed this with my Nordic colleagues this week, and everyone has the same view," Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen (NCP) said in a press release.
On Thursday, Stubb predicted moves toward a ceasefire in Ukraine in the coming months.
"We can talk about a 3-6 month time window, during which the primary goal is a ceasefire and secondarily peace negotiations after that," Stubb told a journalists' meeting on Thursday.
For operational reasons and to ensure the safe delivery of the aid, no further information will be provided on the specific content, delivery method or schedule of the aid, the ministry said.
Stubb approved the previous materiel assistance package for Ukraine in early December. It was considerably smaller, worth some 25 million euros.
Last year Finland was ranked among the top 10 donors of military aid to Ukraine, providing more in relation to GDP than Germany, Sweden and the United States, for example.
