Prime Minister Sanna Marin visited Ukraine on Thursday. She wanted to get first-hand experience of the damage done by the war that has been ongoing for over three months.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin (the SDP) visited Ukraine on Thursday after receiving an invitation from Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
While no details were revealed about the visit beforehand (perhaps, understandably), Prime Minister Marin said afterward that she “visited mass gravesites, and she got to know about the cruelty” that has happened in Ukraine.
Marin also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ruslan Stefanchuck, the chairman of Ukraine’s Parliament.
The Finnish government noted in a statement that the “prime minister emphasized that Finland and the international community at large condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, international law and the jointly agreed fundamental principles of European security.”
“She stressed the need to increase support for Ukraine while continuing to ramp up sanctions against Russia,” the government noted.
According to the statement, President Zelensky thanked Finland for its determination in supporting Ukraine and expressed his gratitude to Finnish society as a whole for the strong support and concrete assistance given to Ukrainians.
The following measures to help Ukraine more are on Finland’s agenda soon:
The sixth EU sanctions package will be on the agenda at the special European Council next week, as announced by Prime Minister Marin at the international donors’ conference in Warsaw on May 5.
Finland is also preparing additional support for Ukraine and is also prepared to increase its arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Marin’s discussions with Prime Minister Shmyhal also addressed Ukraine’s application for membership in the EU. According to the statement, Ukraine is part of the European family and Finland supports Ukraine on its path to EU membership.
“It is important to create concrete steps for Ukraine to become an EU member state,” Marin said during her visit.
The prime ministers also signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the education sector.
Marin’s program included visits to Irpin and to the city of Bucha, where “Marin learned more about the devastation caused by Russia’s invasion and “heard local people’s accounts of the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers.”
During her visit, Prime Minister Marin emphasized that there would be no room for impunity.
“Finland firmly supports Ukraine and the International Criminal Court in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” the government noted.
