President and Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discuss preparations for NATO Summit in Vilnius and current issues related to Russia

On Tuesday 27 June, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit, which will be held in Vilnius on 11–12 July.

In addition, the President and the Ministerial Committee received an overview of the negotiations on the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the United States and an update on Finland’s participation in international crisis management. Finland currently has approximately 450 soldiers participating in eleven military crisis management operations within the frameworks of the UN, the EU, NATO and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

The President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy also discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and current issues concerning Russia. The events seen in Russia in recent days are an internal matter for Russia, and developments are being closely monitored both in Finland and in cooperation with allied and partner countries.

A further item on the agenda was travel by Russian citizens to Finland and through Finland to the rest of the Schengen area. The President and the Ministerial Committee noted that travel by Russian citizens may still be harmful to Finland’s international relations. The restrictions on non-essential travel should therefore be kept in place and tightened to prevent breaches. Based on the discussions held by the President and the Ministerial Committee, the Government may renew the resolution on travel restrictions issued on 29 September 2022.

Inquiries: Mikael Antell, Deputy Director General (foreign and security policy), tel. +358 295 350 353, Marja Liivala, Director General (Russia and Ukraine), tel. +358 295 351 727, Jussi Tanner, Director General (entry into Finland), tel. +358 295 350 246, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.