Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted at the construction of Finnish armoured vehicles in Ukraine as Finland’s new Prime Minister, Peter Orpo, visited Kyiv on Wednesday.
Finnish centre-right Prime Minister Petteri Orpo made an unannounced surprise visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, where he met Zelenskyy, and the two discussed the issue of cooperation in the defence industry, though no concrete plans have been announced yet.
“We have discussed defence industry cooperation with Zelenskyy, and last week, we saw the news that a Swedish company has signed an agreement with Ukraine,” said Orpo.
Over the weekend, Sweden and Ukraine announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding on the production and maintenance of Swedish CV-90 main battle tanks in Ukraine.
“Perhaps we have a lot to do. We have high technology, and the Ukrainians have a lot of experience, so it is really useful and a good idea”, Orpo said about possible cooperation between Finland and Ukraine in the defence industry.
At the press conference, Ukraine’s president also mentioned Ukraine’s strong interest in producing Finnish armoured vehicles in Ukraine – a topic that will likely be discussed at the major meeting between defence industries of different countries in Ukraine this autumn. Some Finnish armoured transport vehicles, or Pases, are currently used in Ukraine.
Orpo also reminded the press conference that Finland had sent 17 aid packages to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in January 2022. According to him, the 18th package will be delivered very soon.
“There is material there that is really needed: Heavy weapons and ammunition,” Orpo said, commenting on the contents of the aid package.
It is the third official visit of a Finnish prime minister since the war broke out, as former Social Democratic prime minister Sanna Marin visited Ukraine twice during her term.
In connection with Marin’s visit to Ukraine, much attention was paid to whether Finland could provide Ukraine with its F-18 Hornet fighter jets being decommissioned.
The Hornet issue also arose at the press conference on Wednesday, when the Ukrainian president was asked whether Finland’s ageing Hornets could be sent to Ukraine.
“If Finland does not need its F18 fighters, we will be happy to receive them,” Zelenskyy joked.
More seriously, he added that F-16 fighters are now a priority for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said during his Ambassadors’ Day speech on Wednesday that it is not in Ukraine’s interest to provide many different types of aircraft. According to Niinistö, the Hornet issue is over.
(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
Read more with EURACTIV
Macron says French interventions in the Sahel prevented caliphate setup
Source: euractiv.com
