Prime Minister meets with European Council President in Helsinki
Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President of the European Council Charles Michel met in Helsinki on Wednesday 25 May.
In their meeting, Prime Minister Marin and President Michel discussed Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the security situation in Europe and next week’s special European Council, the topics of which will be Ukraine, energy, defence and food security.
At a press briefing held before the meeting, Prime Minister Marin and President Michel expressed their strong support for Ukraine.
“I am pleased that Finland has been able to break away from its dependency on fossil fuels imported from Russia. The energy package announced by the European Commission last week offers instruments that will help the whole Union reduce its dependency on Russia. These same tools will also help us accelerate the green transition. This is necessary in order for us to achieve our climate objectives,” Prime Minister Marin said.
The special European Council meeting on 30–31 May will also discuss food security, which is now at risk due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In the near future, it will be very important to support Ukraine in transporting its grain stocks to the global market and in ensuring the success of this year’s harvest. In the coming months, we will have to be ready to respond to growing humanitarian needs in the least developed countries, which will suffer from rising food prices and a possible grain shortage,” Prime Minister Marin said.
Inquiries: Jari Luoto, State Under-Secretary for European Affairs, tel. +358 50 468 5949, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office