Stubb, Nordic-Baltic leaders express solidarity with Ukraine

President Alexander Stubb and other leaders of the Nordic Baltic States on Tuesday visited Kyiv to mark four years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The visit was an expression of Finland’s strong and continuous support for Ukraine in a situation where the country has been fighting Russia's illegal war of aggression, said the President Office in a press release.

During the visit, Stubb participated in discussions on the state of the peace negotiations and their next steps, as well as Finland's and Europe's support for Ukraine.

“I placed a candle in Kyiv's Maidan Square, together with other leaders at the memorial ceremony, in honour of the Ukrainian soldiers who have fallen in the war,” Stubb wrote in a post on his social media platform X.

He also said that Finland’s support for Ukraine remains strong and Russia must end its brutal, senseless, and illegal war of aggression.

Hosted by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of the Nordic Baltic States (NB8) – Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Iceland Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Siliņa, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre and Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson also visited Kyiv marking four years since Russia launched its illegal, unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, said the Finnish President Office in a separate press release late Tuesday night.

The leaders in a joint statement unequivocally condemned Russia’s aggression and called on Russia to end its illegal invasion and agree to a ceasefire immediately.

“We express our deepest condolences to all those affected by Russia’s war of aggression, including the families of those killed and injured, and all civilians suffering from the devastating humanitarian, social and economic consequences of the war,” they said in the statement.

They also reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

“We support all efforts towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Any future peace agreement must be firmly rooted in international law. It cannot reward aggression, legitimise the change of borders by use of force or leave Ukraine vulnerable to renewed military threats. Ukraine continues to demonstrate willingness to negotiate peace whereas Russia continues to stall for time,” the statement added.

They vowed to continue to maximum pressure on Russia, including through sanctions and countering the shadow fleet.

“The Nordic Baltic States are among Ukraine’s strongest supporters. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, the NB8 has provided more than 42 billion EUR in military, financial and humanitarian support. Our support remains strategic, long-term and unwavering,” they said.

“The engagement of our countries reflects a shared strategic vision in which Ukraine and the NB8 work as equal partners, strengthening defence capabilities and resilience to external threats, thus contributing to Euro-Atlantic security,” said the statement.