Russian invasion of Ukraine

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen met Estonia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna in Helsinki on 6 September.

Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna will visit Helsinki on 6 September and meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Albania, Serbia and Kosovo on 4–5 September. The aim of the visit is to strengthen political and commercial relations with Finland’s partners in the Western Balkans. Finland supports the aspirations of the region’s countries for EU membership.

The EU foreign ministers will convene for an informal meeting in Brussels on 29 August. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

In honour of Ukrainian Independence Day on Saturday 24 August, the Government will fly the Ukrainian flag at Senate Square in front of the Government Palace and at Martti Ahtisaari Square in the courtyard of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ main building Merikasarmi, which will also be illuminated in blue and yellow in the evening.

The project is funded by Finland through the Green Recovery Programme for Ukraine and implemented by the Nordic Green Bank Nefco. This marks Finland’s first investment in Ukraine through Nefco since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and Nefco’s first involvement in a nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) project in Ukraine.

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, in Helsinki on 6 August.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene in Brussels on 22 July. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

The European Union extended its sanctions against Belarus on 30 June 2024. It also harmonised the EU’s sectoral sanctions against Russia and Belarus to prevent circumvention of sanctions against Russia. The sectoral sanctions were prepared as a response to Belarus’s complicity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finland had decided to allocate development cooperation funds to support three new projects in Ukraine. Two Institutional Cooperation Instrument (ICI) projects will develop respectively vocational education and training and air quality monitoring, and a fund of the European Investment Bank (EIB) will support the rebuilding of infrastructure in Ukraine.

The Ukraine Country Programme is the largest of the OECD’s country programmes. The four-year programme, costing a total of EUR 16.5 million, supports Ukraine in developing its legislation and institutions and helps the country prepare for its prospective membership in the EU and the OECD.

The 14th EU sanctions package deploys significant new measures to prevent the circumvention and evasion of sanctions imposed on Russia. Among a slew of new measures the package addresses issues related to aviation and the shadow fleet, expands export bans, imposes additional restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) revenues, and increases the obligations of businesses to tackle sanctions circumvention. The list of individuals subject to asset freezes and travel bans will also be significantly extended.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 24 June. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Nordic foreign ministers will convene in Stockholm from 19 to 20 June. State secretary Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting.

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its 56th session in Geneva, Switzerland, from 18 June to 12 July.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže in Helsinki on 13 June. Braže was appointed as Foreign Minister in April.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, in Helsinki on 13 June.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend an informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Prague, the Czech Republic, on 30–31 May.

On 27 May 2024, the European Union imposed new sanctions related to the case of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and set up a new sanctions regime linked to the internal situation in Russia. Navalny died in a penal colony in Russia on 16 February 2024. The joint message of EU Member States is that Russia is responsible for Navalny’s death.

We, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (‘the UK’) and the Government of the Republic of Finland (‘Finland’), bound by shared democratic values and historic ties, affirm our commitment to strengthening the partnership between our two nations.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit London on 20 May 2024. During her visit, Foreign Minister Valtonen will meet the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron, and the ministers will sign a declaration on a strategic partnership between Finland and the United Kingdom (the UK).

The 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will be held in Strasbourg, France, on 16–17 May. State Secretary Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting. In connection with the event, the 75th anniversary of the organisation will be celebrated.

Illia Ponomarenko, one of the internationally best-known Ukrainian war journalists, will arrive in Helsinki at the invitation of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and speak at the World Village Festival in Suvilahti, Helsinki, on Saturday 25 May. During his visit, Ponomarenko will also meet Finland’s political leaders, experts in the field of combatting information influence activities, and volunteers supporting Ukraine.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Lisbon, Portugal, on 14 May and Berlin, Germany, on 15 May.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council, in its development configuration, will take place in Brussels on 7 May 2024. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will represent Finland at the meeting. He will meet representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service in connection with the meeting.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Schmid in Helsinki on 6 May.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide in Helsinki on 29 April.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio visited Kiev on 25 April.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 22 April. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis in Vilnius on 16 April.

The support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion was clearly reflected in the 2023 official development assistance spending (ODA) of Finland and many other EU Member States, according to data released by the OECD today. Ukraine was the largest recipient of Finland’s ODA for the second consecutive year.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend a meeting of Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) forum in Visby, Sweden, on 9–10 April.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend the meeting of NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels on 3–4 April.

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström in Helsinki on 25–26 March.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 18 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 55th session on 26 February 2024.

In accordance with established practice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited civil society organisations (CSOs) to comment on Finland’s activities at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 February. Representatives of more than 40 CSOs participated in a discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen. The discussion focused on the rights of children and the safety of civilians in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan as well as on increasingly narrow civic space in countries such as Belarus, Iran, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Geneva, Switzerland, on 26 February. She will deliver Finland’s address to a High-Level Segment of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.

Two years ago Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against its peaceful, sovereign neighbour, Ukraine. In the face of brutal Russian aggression, Ukraine and Ukrainians have shown incredible resilience and determination.

The EU’s 13th package of sanctions is one of the largest agreed since the launch of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in terms of the number of sanctioned individuals. A total of 194 individuals and entities will be added to the list. They are individuals and companies that support Russian armed forces and individuals who have participated in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children. Export bans will be expanded to goods and technologies that contribute to Russia’s military and technological enhancement. Russian and third country companies that have been found to be involved in the circumvention of sanctions will be added to the list of export bans.

Finland stands with Ukraine now and in the future, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen in Finland’s national statement on the second anniversary on 24 February 2024 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 19 February. State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at the meeting.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Vienna on 8–9 February 2024. She will meet Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and leaders of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Minister Valtonen will also give a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 22 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Finland continues to support the Council of EuropeAction Plan for Ukraine with four million euros in 2024–2025. Finland’s support emphasizes, disability inclusion, gender equality and prevention and combatting of violence against women.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hanke Bruins Slot, in Helsinki on 10 January.

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa in Helsinki on 9 January.

Finland will provide EUR 17.3 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan, Ukraine, Burkina Faso and Lebanon through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Finland's national plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine will improve the prerequisites for the business operations of Finnish companies in Ukraine. A reconstruction plan based on the Government Programme was published on 21 December 2023.