Russian invasion of Ukraine

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 11 May.

Russia is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine for the fifth year and has not demonstrated a genuine willingness to negotiate for a lasting peace. Russia’s ruthless strikes on civilian targets highlight the need to tighten sanctions. With its 20th sanctions package, the European Union continues to increase pressure on Russia to weaken the country’s ability to pursue its war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU is expanding its sanctions against the energy and financial sectors and Russia’s shadow fleet, while adding measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. Sanctions against Belarus are also being tightened.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 21 April. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot will visit Helsinki on 7 April and meet Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

EU foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 31 March. Taking place on the anniversary of the discovery of the Bucha massacre, the meeting will be an important signal of the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine. Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz will represent Finland at the meeting.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 16 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, Reinforced Permanent Council of the OSCE, 24 February 2026.

At the start of the year, the humanitarian assistance decisions of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs prioritise support for Ukraine, major refugee crises in Africa and the humanitarian situation in the Middle East. The humanitarian assistance Finland now grants totals EUR 72 million, and EUR 20 million of this assistance will go to Ukraine. Humanitarian needs are record high at the same time as global funding is declining.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 23 February. Political Secretary of State Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting.

Joint Statement by Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, 16 February 2026.

Finland will allocate EUR 3 million to support UN Women’s Ukraine Country Programme for the years 2026–2028. This long term commitment underscores Finland’s dedication to advancing the rights of women and girls and contributing to Ukraine’s reconstruction. Strengthening gender equality also supports Ukraine’s path toward EU approximation.

Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, will visit Helsinki on 5 February and meet Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen. Their discussions will focus on the current situation within foreign and security policy.

Finland is boosting its support for the reform of Ukraine’s education system through Learning2gether2. The project is a EUR 20 million investment in Ukraine’s EU approximation, reconstruction and long-term education reform. It will be implemented in 2026–2029.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 29 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Joint statement by the the Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden on 23 January 2026.

Finland’s term as Chairperson of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ended on the last day of 2025. Last year marked 50 years since the CSCE meeting in Helsinki and the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act. The principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act are as relevant today as they were fifty years ago because they represent the essence of humanity: the yearning for freedom, cooperation and peace.

Political State Secretary Pasi Rajala will lead Finland’s delegation at the diplomatic conference in The Hague on 16 December 2025 for the adoption of the Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine. At the conference, State Secretary Rajala will sign the convention on behalf of Finland.

EU foreign ministers will convene for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 15 December. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen will visit New York on 8 December. She will speak at the UN Security Council and participate in a panel discussion on Youth, Peace, and Security.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio spoke at the opening ceremony of the Shelter Coalition in Kyiv on 27 November 2025.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels on 3 December.

The inauguration of the civil defence coalition co-led by Ukraine and Finland will take place in Kyiv on 27 November. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend the inauguration to announce Finland’s EUR 11 million funding for constructing civil defence shelters. Finland has earlier confirmed approximately EUR two million in funding for the bilateral project, which makes Finland’s total support to Ukrainian civil defence sector about EUR 13 million.

EU foreign ministers will hold an informal video conference on 26 November. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

The EU foreign ministers will convene for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 20 November. Finland’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Jori Arvonen, will represent Finland at the meeting.

Joint statement by the Ministers of Defence and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Nordic and Baltic countries on 13 November.

On 30 October, the Ministerial Finance Committee decided to support a proposal to provide EUR 11 million in funding to the civil defence coalition led by Finland and Ukraine. The proposal was prepared in the administrative branch of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio. The support will be channelled through the European Union’s Ukraine Facility to finance the construction of civil defence shelters. Finland has expertise in this sector, and Finnish companies have good opportunities to participate successfully in future procurement processes.

Finland has become the thirteenth country to join the Tallinn Mechanism—an international initiative that helps Ukraine enhance its cyber resilience and digital security.

In the future, Finland will be able to deploy up to 15 soldiers to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU). The current level of participation is five soldiers.

The European Union has adopted its 19th package of sanctions to step up its responses to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia has demonstrated no willingness to negotiate for a just and lasting peace. The EU expands its sanctions against the energy and financial sectors and Russia’s shadow fleet and adds measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. It bans imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into the EU as of 1 January 2027 and restricts the movement of Russian diplomats across the EU. In addition, the EU tightens its sanctions against Belarus.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung in Helsinki on 21 October. Lê Hoài Trung will visit Finland as part of the delegation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Tô Lâm on his official visit to the country.

The EU foreign ministers will convene for the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 20 October. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

On Tuesday 14 October, Finland joined the Tallinn Mechanism to support Ukraine’s cyber security and resilience. The mechanism coordinates international cyber security support to Ukraine’s public administration and critical infrastructure.

A recent survey commissioned by Finland’s Embassy in Moscow shows that Finland’s reputation among Russians has held steady for the past three years, but over a longer period it has clearly declined. The most positive attitudes are found among young people, while pensioners are the most negative. An increasing share of respondents are unwilling or unable to express an opinion.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Warsaw on 6 October. During her visit, Minister Valtonen will meet Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski and attend the annual Warsaw Human Dimension Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

At the meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 25 September, the Moscow Mechanism mission of experts presented their report on violations of international humanitarian and human rights law related to the treatment of Ukrainian soldiers and prisoners of war (POWs) in Russia’s war of aggression. The report examines Russia’s systematic torture, ill-treatment and execution of Ukrainian soldiers and POWs.

EU foreign affairs ministers will meet at the Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich) in Copenhagen on 29–30 August. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

The foreign ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada convened in Nuuksio, Espoo, on 19 August 2025 and gave a joint statement on their support of Ukraine.

EU ministers for foreign affairs will hold an informal meeting on 11 August to discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Elina Valtonen and Andrii Sybiha, Foreign Ministers of Finland and Ukraine respectively, will meet in Helsinki on 30 July. The purpose of Minister for Foreign Affairs Sybiha’s visit is to participate in the Helsinki+50 Conference, which marks the anniversary of Finland’s chairpersonship of the Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The European Union has adopted its 18th package of sanctions as a response to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and its lack of willingness to negotiate for a lasting peace. The EU expands its sanctions especially to target the energy and financial sectors and Russia’s shadow fleet and to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. The EU lowers the oil price cap. In addition, the EU tightens its sanctions against Belarus.

The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union will meet in Brussels on 15 July. State Secretary Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting.

Joint statement by the Nordic foreign ministers at the NATO Summit in the Hague on 25 June 2025.

EU foreign affairs ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 23 June. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

This week, the Finnish sanctions authorities will send a letter to companies cautioning them that they may be used as platforms or targets for circumventing trade sanctions. The purpose of this letter is to draw attention to the sanctions in force and to provide assistance in complying with them.

In its 17th sanctions package, the European Union continues to respond to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, to Russia’s destabilising measures against the EU and third countries and to the deterioration of the domestic human rights situation in the country. A significant number of vessels belonging to the Russia’s shadow fleet were added to the EU sanctions list.

The Baltic Sea NATO allies and the European Union have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to protect critical undersea infrastructure.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend an informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Antalya in Türkiye on 14–15 May.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend the NB8 meeting bringing together Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in Bornholm, Denmark, on 28–29 April. Ministers from Poland, France and Germany will also participate in the meeting.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 14 April. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Washington DC on 10 April 2025. She will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.