Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press release 33/2024
31 May 2024
At the third Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Stockholm on 31 May 2024, the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland and the Presidents of Ukraine and Finland issued the following statement:
We are at a critical juncture in Ukraine’s struggle to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale war of aggression. We, the leaders of the Nordic countries, jointly reaffirm our countries’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
The Nordic countries have thus far provided Ukraine with more than EUR 17 billion in military, financial and humanitarian support. We commit to continuing our efforts to provide immediate and long-term support to Ukraine, with the aim of helping Ukraine prevail. This is crucial for European, Euro-Atlantic and global security.
The conclusion of bilateral agreements on security commitments with Ukraine by all the Nordic countries is a manifestation of our resolve to develop deep and comprehensive security cooperation and to maintain our support for the long term. Together with the signatories of the G7 Declaration on long-term support to Ukraine, we send a clear signal that Ukraine can count on us for as long as it is needed.
We will individually and jointly continue to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, maritime and land warfare capabilities. We will continue to contribute to training, provide equipment, support joint procurement, and make financial contributions so as to alleviate Ukraine’s acute needs and contribute to building Ukraine’s future defence forces.
We will work with Ukraine to increase its defence industry production. In particular, we will jointly strive to increase Ukraine’s and our own production capacity to meet Ukraine’s needs for battle-decisive munitions. We will work to identify opportunities for the further development and transformation of Ukraine’s defence industry into a strong and effective tool for its defence against Russia’s war of aggression, and to deter future attacks. Together, we will work with Ukraine to identify opportunities for closer partnerships and priority investment areas, and promote higher self-sufficiency by reinforcing production in Ukraine.
We reaffirm our strong support of Ukraine’s Peace Formula. We will continue our diplomatic efforts to promote its implementation. Ukraine deserves a just and lasting peace based on international law, including the UN Charter, that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We will participate at the highest level in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine to be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on 15–16 June, and are contributing to efforts to ensure broad global participation.
We continue to support Ukraine on its path from early to long-term recovery and align our assistance with Ukraine’s European integration. We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s reform agenda and commend Ukraine’s significant progress on necessary reforms, as Ukraine pursues its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. We support the swift adoption of the negotiating framework for accession negotiations for Ukraine, followed by the first Intergovernmental Conference in June 2024. We believe that Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Europe. We will therefore strengthen our joint efforts to support Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. We will continue to support Ukraine on its path towards membership. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening NATO’s support to, and relationship with, Ukraine. We support a greater role for NATO in the coordination of security assistance and training, with a view to consolidating long-term support and to building a bridge for Ukraine’s future NATO membership. The work that NATO is now undertaking will put Ukraine on a clear path towards NATO membership. The bilateral security agreements will support Ukraine’s future integration into NATO. In this regard, we will contribute to a successful NATO Summit in Washington on 9-11 July 2024, including key decisions on Ukraine.
We are committed to countering Russia’s war of aggression by constraining its influence, freedom of action and ability to do harm, including through sanctions and measures to prevent their circumvention, and measures to ensure accountability.
Having faced Russia’s aggression for more than ten years, including over two years of full-scale war, Ukraine continues to demonstrate extraordinary determination in exercising its inherent right of self-defence. As of today, all Nordic countries have concluded bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. As we move on to implement them, we are inspired by the persistence and spirit of Ukraine’s people, soldiers and leadership.
