Prime Ministers of Finland and Ukraine emphasise the international community’s duty to support Ukraine in achieving a just peace

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met in Helsinki on Friday 18 October. The prime ministers discussed Ukraine’s needs and Finland’s support, Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.

The discussions emphasised the duty and responsibility of the international community to help Ukraine achieve a just and lasting peace. Ukraine is fighting for its independence and the international rules-based order in Russia’s brutal war of aggression. Ukraine’s ten-point Peace Formula is a step towards achieving a just peace.

The Prime Ministers also discussed Ukraine’s victory plan. “The idea behind the victory plan is clear: when the time comes for peace talks with Russia, Ukraine must be able to negotiate from as strong and powerful a position as possible,” says Prime Minister Orpo.

At Ukraine’s request, Finland will host a meeting dedicated to the eighth point of the Peace Formula, Environmental Security, on Saturday 19 October. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will deliver the opening address at the meeting, which will be chaired by Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Kai Mykkänen.

“It is an honour that Finland specifically was invited to host the meeting on the Environmental Security point of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. This is a way for us to make a concrete contribution to advancing Ukraine’s peace plan,” said Prime Minister Orpo.

“Monitoring and assessing the state of the environment are among Finland’s strongest areas of expertise. There are also many companies in Finland with top international expertise in measurement technology and monitoring the state of the environment,” Prime Minister Orpo noted.

The prime ministers discussed Ukraine’s acute need for assistance for the coming winter.

“Ukraine will be in a difficult humanitarian situation when winter comes. I was pleased to be able to tell Prime Minister Shmyhal that Finland will send 11 aid packages to Ukraine in the coming months to help through the winter. In connection with this, I would like to thank Finnish companies for their unwavering support and their donations to Ukraine,” says Prime Minister Orpo.

Support for Ukrainian civil society was also on the agenda. 

“My colleague and I also discussed work to develop civil defence shelters. This is another field where Finland has strong expertise to offer. We will continue our work on civil defence shelters both bilaterally and together with our international partners,” said Prime Minister Orpo.

Finland and Ukraine to advance Ukrainian Peace Formula at high-level conference in Helsinki | Government press release 17 October 2024 
Recording of the prime ministers’ press conference | Government video service
Photos of the visit | Government Flickr account

Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 978, Prime Minister’s Office; Kerstin Stendahl, Senior Ministerial Adviser, International Affairs, tel. +358 50 525 2717, Ministry of the Environment (meeting on environmental security); Pasi Korhonen, Director of EU and International Affairs, tel. +358 295 163 175, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (healthcare sector cooperation agreement)