PRESS RELEASE : President held a meeting with the foreign ministers of the seven Baltic and Northern European states [November 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 November 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia – Urmas Reinsalu, Iceland – Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir, Latvia – Edgars Rinkēvičs, Lithuania – Gabrielius Landsbergis, Norway – Anniken Huitfeldt, Finland – Pekka Haavisto and Sweden – Tobias Billström.

The Head of State noted that the joint visit of the foreign ministers of the seven Baltic and Northern European states is an important signal of strong support and solidarity of the partner countries with Ukraine, especially in times of the most serious challenges.

“Probably, this is the first time we are hosting you in Ukraine in such a broad composition. We do it with pleasure. We are extremely glad that you are on the side of the truth, on the bright side in this war – on the side of Ukraine and our struggle for independence and freedom,” stressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine thanked the Baltic and Northern European countries for their consistently active and effective support to our state in protecting its territorial integrity and independence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, in particular, the significant defense, financial and humanitarian assistance of the Baltic and Northern European partners in the face of Russia’s full-scale armed aggression.

“We especially appreciate the support for the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, medical aid and rehabilitation of our wounded, conducting educational and training missions, which are so important for the Ukrainian military, and support for the forced migrants from Ukraine who went abroad because of the war,” the President emphasized.

The Head of State drew special attention to the challenges of the winter period and Russia’s terror aimed at the civilian energy sector. In this regard, the critical need to provide Ukraine with modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems and the need for urgent support of our country’s energy system was separately noted.

The parties emphasized the importance of further increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, as well as coordinated work on the creation of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression and a mechanism of compensation for damages caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the partners for their firm support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, in particular with the aim of starting negotiations on joining the European Union as soon as possible, and also noted the importance of further assistance in the implementation of our country’s strategic course towards NATO membership.

The President of Ukraine emphasized the importance of the participation of the relevant states in the implementation of the Ukrainian humanitarian initiative Grain from Ukraine and the important role of the financial contribution of each partner to ensuring food security in the world.