Finnish President Alexander Stubb pledged continued support for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, as Nordic and Baltic leaders gathered for talks on defence, security and further assistance to the country.
Stubb attended Ukraine’s National Flag Day ceremony with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders from Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
He drew a parallel between Ukraine’s war with Russia and Finland’s experience during the Second World War.
“We lost Karelia, but we did not lose our freedom and independence,” Stubb said during the ceremony, referring to territory Finland ceded to the Soviet Union.
Stubb said Finland would continue supporting Ukraine for as long as required. He also described Ukraine’s defence as part of Europe’s own security.
“Ukraine is the greatest security guarantee for all of us,” Stubb said. He said European support rested both on the defence of democracy, freedom and the rule of law and on European security interests.
Zelenskyy told those attending the ceremony that Russia would not subjugate Ukraine. He said the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag represented resistance after periods in which Ukrainian national symbols faced suppression.
The ceremony took place at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, near the Mother Ukraine monument in Kyiv.
Stubb travelled to Ukraine with his wife, Suzanne Innes-Stubb.
The delegation also includes Finnish Defence Forces commander Janne Jaakkola and representatives of Finnish companies. Stubb last visited Ukraine in February 2026.
The visit comes as Ukraine prepares to mark 35 years since declaring independence from the Soviet Union on Monday.
Security concerns remain central to the meetings. Russia has carried out repeated missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials have warned that the country faces shortages of air defence missiles as Russia continues its aerial campaign.
France has agreed to accelerate deliveries of air defence equipment and missiles following talks between Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Norway also plans to provide 85 billion Norwegian kroner, about €7.8 billion, in financial support to Ukraine over the next year, according to a Norwegian government statement. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine faces a budget shortfall of about €23 billion this year.
The talks in Kyiv also take place amid a renewed debate over elections in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy rejected calls on Sunday to hold elections while the country remains under martial law. He said a wartime vote would risk dividing the country and creating conditions that Russia would seek to exploit.
“I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now would be a tsunami that would divide Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, according to AFP.
Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for a way to hold elections before the war ends. Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing unnamed sources, that Fedorov has considered running for president or taking another role in a future election campaign.
Ukrainian law blocks national elections while martial law remains in force. Questions also remain over voting arrangements for soldiers, millions of Ukrainians living abroad and people in Russian-occupied territories.
The diplomatic meetings follow another period of strikes by both sides. Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has expanded long-range drone strikes against oil facilities and logistics sites inside Russia.
Stubb used his Kyiv address to link Finland’s own history with Ukraine’s current defence.
“You will win, you have won, and we will continue to support you,” he told the Ukrainian audience.
HT