Finland and Ukraine sign defence cooperation agreement

The defences of Finland and Ukraine have signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement, Finland’s defence ministry said on Thursday.

The two countries have agreed to deepen their defence cooperation.

Their defence cooperation includes on armaments, exchange of intelligence as well as production of ammunition, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said it would give a new military aid package to Ukraine.

Its worth will be around 200 million euros ($217.48 million), including artillery ammunition to help in the war with Russia.

Finland and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence co-operation between the two countries’ defence administrations.

The MoU was signed by the two countries’ defence ministers, Antti Häkkänen and Rustem Umerov respectively, as they met in Helsinki on 13 March 2025.

Co-operation under the MoU will be enhanced in a number of fields, including defence materiel, exchange of information, research and innovation.

It also includes ammunition production, and defence-industrial projects in Finland and Ukraine.

At the defence ministers’ meeting, Finland also announced its 28th military assistance package for Ukraine.

The Finnish Ministry of Defence quoted Häkkänen as saying. “For more than three years Finland has supported Ukraine’s defence against Russia,

“We are one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters by GDP ratio.

“Finland and Ukraine are on the same edge of Europe and, drawing from our historical experience, we share a perception of the threat of Russia.

“Finland is committed to continuing its support for Ukraine. However, the relationship between our countries is not a one-way street but a mutually beneficial partnership.

“This memorandum of understanding shows that we want to expand and deepen our co-operation for the benefit of both countries.

“Three long years of defence against Russia have honed the Ukrainian armed forces into one of the strongest in Europe.

“At the same time, Ukrainians have gained extensive experience of how to defend their country against Russia.

“This means that when we develop our own defence system we must heed head the lessons learned by Ukrainians and make use of their experiences,” Häkkänen added.

Finland’s latest military aid package for Ukraine, valued at around EUR 200 million, is awaiting approval from the Finnish government and president.

Earlier in January 2025, Finland finalised its 27th defence package for Ukraine, valued at nearly EUR 200 million in replacement costs.

In late February 2025, Finland announced an industrial programme worth EUR 660 million that will be used to procure new defence material.

The defence material was to be acquired from the Finnish defence industry to help Ukraine.

Delivering on these decisions will raise the total value of Finland’s materiel assistance to Ukraine to EUR 3.3 billion.

Häkkänen further added,

“As before, we will not reveal the details of the [latest] aid package,

“What I can say is that this time the package contains artillery ammunition, for which there is a great need right now in Ukraine.

“It is tremendous that there is such a broad political support and national consensus in Finland for supporting Ukraine.

“Moreover, it is invaluable that we have succeeded in combining support for Ukraine and stronger security of supply in Finland through our new industrial programme.”

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