On December 10 in Kyiv, the second round of political consultations at the level of Directors of the Departments of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, took place.

In her opening address, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to the countries of the Nordic-Baltic Eight for their leadership and unwavering support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression. She emphasized the importance of the involvement of European partners in peace negotiations to formulate effective and just solutions for Ukraine and Europe, grounded in international law, as well as to establish practical security guarantees for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation underscored the priority of strengthening the country’s air defense to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from ongoing Russian attacks. They called on their partners to further contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy system and to ensure its continued resilience.

During the consultations, the parties discussed potential initiatives for increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, as well as the measures to prevent sanctions circumvention. Special attention was given to mechanisms for holding the aggressor accountable, the launch of a Special Tribunal, and a Compensation Commission.

The participants agreed to continue close cooperation on this track.

The delegations exchanged views on Ukraine’s integration process into the European Union. Both sides emphasized the need to continue joint efforts with partners to secure funding for Ukraine's needs for the next two years, including through the use of frozen Russian assets.

The participants acknowledged the productive cooperation between their countries within international organizations and outlined steps for enhancing work in strategic communications.

Representatives of the Northern Europe and Baltic countries reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, expressed their readiness to continue providing comprehensive political and practical assistance to Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian aggressor, and pledged to actively cooperate both bilaterally and multilaterally.