Finland and Ukraine signed deals valued around €300M: Zelenskyy

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Thursday that Ukraine and Finland signed agreements worth about €300 million ($336 million) during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s visit to Kyiv.

“Today, we have a new support package for Ukraine from Finland, and we have agreements that expand our opportunities for cooperation ... Seven documents were signed. And the total value of today's agreements is around €300 million,” Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference following talks with Orpo, who arrived in Kyiv earlier in the day.

He said Ukraine remains engaged in cooperation with Finland and maintains regular contact with Helsinki and its other partners.

Recalling a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said the talks covered security, defense and diplomatic issues and that they are working “just as substantively” with the Finnish government.

“Importantly, the drone deal with Finland is already actively underway, and within this agreement, there are measures worth €200 million. These are very important steps, a very important beginning, and a clear strengthening of our capabilities, the security capabilities of Ukraine and Finland,” he added.

He said they also discussed joint work under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, a European Union financial instrument that provides up to €150 billion in long-maturity loans to member states to boost and accelerate joint defense procurement, adding that Ukraine is asking Finland to help Kyiv secure co-production arrangements.

“We agreed to make greater use of Finland's satellite capabilities. And this is important for our defense, for resilience, for Ukraine, for Europe. We reached an agreement on this today and discussed opportunities for such cooperation with Nokia and ICEYE,” the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space, he said.

Zelenskyy also thanked Finland for its willingness to support Ukraine’s logistics and energy sectors, expressing Kyiv’s “special gratitude” for Helsinki’s backing of Ukraine’s European integration efforts.

Burç Eruygur