Finland’s relations and development cooperation in Ukraine
Finland strongly condemns Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and supports Ukraine extensively by means of development cooperation, civilian crisis management, humanitarian mine action and humanitarian assistance and through the Council of Europe, CSOs and NATO funds.
Finland strongly supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Finland supports Ukraine both bilaterally and as part of the European Union. Finland is a strong advocate for Ukraine within the UN, too. In this context, Finland works closely both as part of the EU and in cooperation with other Nordic countries and the Baltic countries.
Read more about Finland’s support to Ukraine
Ukraine is committed to extensive reform programmes that are necessary for its convergence with the European Union. Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. Ukraine has already implemented reforms that have brought concrete benefits to citizens and improved the country’s capacity to respond to various internal and external threats. Despite the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian government and authorities have been able to continue their work.
Finland’s goals in Ukraine
The strategic goals of Finland’s comprehensive activities in Ukraine are described in the Country Strategy and the Country Programme. The latter focuses on development cooperation. The goals of Finland’s Country Strategy for Ukraine are to restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and to guarantee respect for international law; to strengthen bilateral relations between Finland and Ukraine and to widen the scope of cooperation; to enhance the resilience of society and to improve the living conditions of citizens; and to strengthen the relations between the European Union and Ukraine.
Finland’s Country Strategy for Ukraine 2021–2024 (PDF, 258 KB)
Finland’s partners in Ukraine
Finland’s partners in Ukraine are the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, international development finance institutions and UN organisations. Finland acts as part of the European Union and promotes the implementation of the EU–Ukraine agreements and related cooperation.
Finland funds humanitarian mine action and provides needs-based humanitarian assistance. Civilian material assistance has been delivered to Ukraine through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) supports Ukraine in reforming its civil security system.
Finland supports the Council of Europe Action Plan, which encourages Ukraine to increase the independence of the judiciary, to promote the implementation of European human rights standards, to pursue good governance and to protect the rights of minorities and internally displaced persons.
Finland supports the resilience and continued functioning of Ukraine’s public sector through the World Bank’s multi-donor trust funds that help the Ukrainian Government pay wages, pensions and social benefits.
Finnish civil society organisations support the development of Ukraine’s society in collaboration with the country’s civil society actors. Support has been allocated to mediation efforts and to improving the position of persons with disabilities, among other targets.
Commercial cooperation
Ukraine wants to start reconstruction and economic recovery as soon as possible. In the long term, Ukraine’s reconstruction will offer significant opportunities for Finnish companies. Finland and Finnish companies can help in Ukraine’s reconstruction in a variety fields that include green transition, digital transformation, telecommunications, energy, ecologically sustainable construction, teaching, water and waste management, planning, agriculture and healthcare. The Team Finland network helps Finnish companies in preparing for and participating in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The free trade agreement between the European Union and Ukraine has increased trade between the EU and Ukraine. Since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has also supported Ukraine through unilateral trade preferences.