The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit, held at the Presidential Palace, brings together leaders from the UK, Nordic and Baltic countries to discuss the matters of mutual security.
Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, will host the JEF Leaders’ Summit at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Thursday.
The summit, according to the police, will likely cause traffic disturbances.
But on Wednesday, during a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, one of the participants in the summit, the Finnish president presented him with a cake.
Jetten turned 39 yesterday.
Stubb posted a video on social media in which he brought Jetten a cake accompanied by a birthday song.
In addition to Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir joined in the birthday song.
“You have to blow it out,” Stubb said, after placing the creamy cake topped with berries and decorated with one long candle on the table.
“Thank you so much. It looks amazing,” Jetten said.
Alongside President Stubb, Prime Minister Jetten, Store and Frostadottir, attendees at the JEF summit include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. Denmark’s representation is yet to be confirmed. Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will join remotely.
The summit at the Presidential Palace will feature three sessions focusing on topics such as support from JEF nations to Ukraine and Europe’s overall security situation.
During the day, the JEF heads of state and government will tour a Finnish Border Guard offshore patrol vessel to receive a briefing on maritime operations. This vessel operates year-round under all conditions in the Baltic Sea for border security maintenance, search and rescue missions, oil-spill response at sea, and territorial waters surveillance.
The day’s events will conclude with a dinner hosted by President Stubb.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a UK-led multilateral defence cooperation framework including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
Its goal is to enhance military capabilities through joint exercises to prevent crises or respond collectively if needed. The primary operational area for JEF is Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region.
The last meeting of JEF leaders took place in Norway in May 2025.
