Finland becomes 3rd most aid provider in EU to Ukraine

Finland reiterated its solidarity to the Ukrainian people marking the second anniversary of the Russia´s invasion of Ukraine.

The second anniversary of the beginning of the Russia’s brutal war will be observed on Saturday.

The Finnish Government will show its solidarity with Ukraine by flying the Finnish and Ukrainian flags on the anniversary, said a government press release.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ main building, Merikasarmi, will be illuminated in blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo vowed to continue the support to Ukraine together with the European Union on the eve of the second anniversary of the attack.

“Finland and the EU stand in solidarity with Ukraine, marking 2 years since Russia's aggression. European Union will always support Ukraine´s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will ramp up our defence capacity & back Ukraine's path to peace and European integration,” Orpo wrote in a post in his social media platform X on Friday.

Over a period of two years, Ukraine has requested assistance 182 times and, as a result, European countries have made a total of 3,381 offers of assistance to Ukraine through the Civil Protection Mechanism.

Finland has been the third most active provider of assistance with its 276 offers of assistance, said a government press release on Friday.

The Ministry of the Interior coordinates the provision of material emergency assistance to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The range of assistance provided is broad and covers practically everything other than military equipment.

Finland has already sent nearly 300 truckloads of material assistance to Ukraine, including large amounts of assistance for the energy sector, healthcare and rescue services.

Emergency material assistance supports Ukraine's resilience by maintaining the capacity of the Ukrainian authorities and society and by reducing the impact of Russian attacks.

“It is fundamental to provide assistance, as this is a quick and effective way of remedying, for example, the destroyed energy infrastructure or rapidly addressing the deficiencies in healthcare caused by the war. We at the Ministry of the Interior are also prioritising the provision of support for Ukraine,” said Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen in the press release.

Most recently, Finland has supplied transformers, generators, electricity network components, a large water tank, food containers, children's hospital supplies, infusion pumps, mobility aids and other types of hospital supplies to Ukraine.

Ukraine's need for assistance will continue to be immense and cut through all of society in the future, which is why Finland and its partners and allies must continue to provide active assistance to Ukraine.

Ukraine needs support in maintaining society’s critical functions and infrastructure. Energy sector needs include transformers, generators, heating equipment and supplies that protect the energy infrastructure, such as gabion baskets and sandbags.

The maintenance of water management requires equipment and supplies related to water purification. Support is also needed to maintain the road and telecommunications infrastructure, including things such as road salt and ICT equipment.

In addition to vehicles and rescue equipment, support for humanitarian mine clearance and preparedness for CBRN threats is needed in rescue services. Essential healthcare needs include medicines, various medical supplies and devices as well as mobility aids.

In addition to nearly 300 truckloads of assistance, a total of 76 vehicles, including rescue service vehicles and buses, have been sent to Ukraine.

“The monetary value of material assistance is approximately EUR 20 million, largely based on the materials’ depreciation prices. A large part of the material assistance sent is donations from different sectors of society. We extend our gratitude all the companies, agencies, municipalities, wellbeing services counties, organisations and other actors that have made donations,” said Specialist Heikki Honkanen from the Ministry of the Interior.

In addition to emergency material assistance, the Civil Protection Mechanism has also been used for the provision of expert assistance to support the operation of the Mechanism in Ukraine's neighbouring countries and for receiving patients in need of medical care evacuated from Ukraine. Support for Ukraine is a long-term and complex process that is not expected to end in the near future.

Marking the day, the Government will show solidarity with Ukraine by flying flags at the Government Palace, Senate Square and Merikasarmi. Flags will also be flown by the University of Helsinki at Senate Square.

Flags will be raised at Senate Square at 8.00 and lowered at 20.00, which is also the closing time of the Light for Ukraine event organised at the square.

The Light for Ukraine event will be organised by Lutheran Church in Helsinki, Mothersforpeace, and the Ukrainian Association in Finland in collaboration with the City of Helsinki, the University of Helsinki, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Embassy of Ukraine.

Ukraine will have Finland’s unwavering support as long as necessary. Ukraine deserves a just and lasting peace. Finland has directed EUR 2.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine over the past two years.