On April 15, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Karasevych held a meeting with Permanent State Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland Jukka Salovaara.

Oleksandr Karasevych expressed sincere gratitude to Finland for its consistent support for Ukraine’s EU membership and for the consultative assistance provided during the negotiation process with Brussels. The importance of unblocking the EU decision on granting Ukraine a EUR 90 billion loan package for 2026–2027 was emphasised.

During the meeting, the parties paid particular attention to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. They underscored the need to continue consolidated international efforts aimed at compelling Russia to end the war and limiting its capacity to carry out daily missile and drone attacks against Ukraine.

Oleksandr Karasevych stressed the critical importance of the swift adoption of the EU’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia. The interlocutors also discussed further expansion of the sanctions list targeting Russia’s shadow fleet vessels and practical measures to restrict their transit through the Baltic Sea.

Particular attention was also devoted to analysing existing and potential threats posed by Russia to European security. In this context, the Ukrainian side called on Finland to consider the possibility of introducing entry restrictions for citizens of the Russian Federation who participated in combat operations against Ukraine.

The parties confirmed their readiness to further develop close cooperation aimed at strengthening European security, advancing Ukraine’s European integration, and achieving a just and sustainable peace.