Finland sends additional aid to Ukraine

NordenBladet — On the proposal of the Government, the President of the Republic decided today that Finland will increase its aid to Ukraine and also provide military protective equipment to assist the country.The aid is granted under the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. The Ministry of Defence is the authority responsible for the aid. Finland will send to Ukraine 2,000 bulletproof vests, 2,000 composite helmets, 100 stretchers as well as equipment for two emergency medical care stations. The Government also granted Estonia a licence to re-export to Ukraine artillery guns and their ammunition, which Estonia had previously purchased from Finland.Finland supports the initiative of the EU High Representative to use the European Peace Facility to assist Ukraine also in the form of military materials.In addition, Finland will send humanitarian material assistance to Ukraine through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism in the next few days. The assistance includes tents and medical protective equipment. Finland will collect and provide more material to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The Ministry of the Interior is the authority responsible for the assistance and it will be coordinated by Europe’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), which received Ukraine’s request. Several EU Member States have responded to the request. Finland decided already on 17 and 24 February to grant Ukraine a total of EUR 14 million in new financial support. Of this, EUR 8.2 million is humanitarian assistance and EUR 5.8 million is development cooperation funding. In total, Finland’s support to Ukraine for 2014–2022 will be approximately EUR 85 million.Finland strongly condemns Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Finland supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity. Russia’s military operations have caused a large-scale humanitarian emergency in Ukraine. The EU foreign ministers will discuss additional assistance to Ukraine in the evening of Sunday 27 February. The Government will inform Parliament of the matter and will also assess the possibility of new support measures.