Ukraine suggests holding Ukrainian-Finnish defense forum this fall

"I thanked Finland, its government, businesses, and people for supporting Ukraine, most importantly, with timely military aid. Finland understands very well what it means to resist a brutal and unprovoked aggression by Moscow," wrote Sybiha.

According to him, during the meeting, practical ways to further develop mutually beneficial defense cooperation were discussed. The Foreign Minister noted that Ukraine is a contributor to security and innovative defense technologies.

"I invited Finish companies to attend the next international defense industries forum in Ukraine this fall and proposed to consider a separate Ukrainian-Finish defense forum," Sybiha said.

The Minister also expressed Ukraine's strong interest in Finland's unique experience in building shelter facilities.

"We are grateful to Finnish friends for leading a relevant coalition and look forward to developing its activity," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister added.

Sybiha meets with leadership and members of the Association of Finnish Defense and Aerospace Industries (photo: x.com/andrii_sybiha)

Sybiha's visit to Finland

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is visiting Finland on July 30–31, where he is participating in the high-level Helsinki+50 conference.

As part of his visit, Sybiha is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with:

• the top leadership of the country, including President of Finland Alexander Stubb,

• Speaker of the Parliament (Eduskunta) Jussi Halla-aho,

• Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland and current OSCE Chair Elina Valtonen,

• Finnish members of parliament and members of the European Parliament,

• and several high-level guests of the Conference.

Key topics of the discussions include:

• strengthening and aligning allied pressure on Moscow,

• coordinating efforts between Ukraine and Finland to counter Russian aggression and threats to Europe,

• further reform of the OSCE and the European security architecture,

• enhancing Ukraine's defense capabilities,

• and involving the Finnish government and companies in Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery efforts.