The Finnish defense ministry announced on Wednesday that Finland will join a maritime capability coalition of 17 countries tasked with supporting the development of Ukraine’s naval forces.
In a press release, the Finnish defense ministry said that the decision to join had been made by Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.
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“Finland has joined capability coalitions based on careful case-by-case consideration, always ensuring that our contribution is sufficient and effective and produces clear added value in building Ukraine’s military capabilities,” Häkkänen said.
The maritime coalition was launched at the end of 2023, with the UK contributing two Royal Navy minehunter ships to Ukraine’s armed forces. The UK, Norway, and other partner countries have trained hundreds of Ukrainian marines, according to a British press release.
According to the Ukrainian government, the activities of the coalition are “among the least publicly disclosed.” The areas in which it provides support include the provision of ships and boats, naval strike armaments, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, and mine action systems, as well as training Ukraine’s marine forces and strengthening their amphibious capabilities.
At least eight international “capability coalitions” have been established, including the Air Force Coalition, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Coalition, the Maritime Capability Coalition, the Drone Coalition, the IT Coalition, the Artillery Coalition, the Armored Vehicles and Maneuverability Coalition, and the Demining Capability Coalition.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, however, called for a “strong Ukrainian army” without “limitation” after virtual Coalition of the Willing talks on Tuesday.
Finland is also a member of the artillery, armor, mine clearance and information technology groups according to its defense ministrypress release.
In January of this year, the drone coalition (led by the UK and Latvia) announced that it would send $55 million worth of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine.
In a move which testifies to the changing nature of this war, Ukraine announced that it would recommence arms exports – primarily in the form of drones – to the rest of the world, with sales offices set to open in Europe.