Ukraine's Zelensky in surprise visit to Finland for Nordic PM summit

Helsinki, Finland

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Finland on Wednesday (May 3). The Finnish presidency announced that he was there to participate in a summit gathering of the leaders of the five Nordic nations.  

Zelensky will meet Finnish President Sauli Niinisto after attending the summit. The visit is significant amid the ongoing war as Finland recently joined The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a bloc Ukraine wants to join to counter Russia with the security of the military alliance. 

Zelensky is there to discuss "Ukraine's defence struggle", and will also hold bilateral talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway's Jonas Gahr Store, Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and Iceland's Katrin Jakobsdottir. 

Finland is now one of the nations Zelensky visited since Russia's invasion of Ukraine apart from the United States, Belgium, Poland, France, and the United Kingdom. 

German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday that Zelensky is to travel to Berlin on May 13. The report mentioned that the Ukrainian leader will be received by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with military honours on May 14 before flying to Aachen later in the day to receive the 2023 Charlemagne Prize. 

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Daria Zarivna, Ukraine's presidential communications adviser wrote on Telegram: "In order to be in NATO and support alliances to gain support, fundamental diplomatic work must be done. Ukraine is doing it today." 

After a period of stalled fighting, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war started raging with fighting on in several regions as Europe’s biggest armed conflict since World War II is set to enter a new phase. 

The Ukrainian defence minister said last week that a spring counteroffensive could begin as soon as April as there's no hint of a negotiated end to the 13 months of fighting. 

WATCH | Gravitas: Is Finland the new front in the Ukraine war?

On Wednesday, the EU presented a proposal to boost ammunition production in Europe to replace depleted stocks as it arms Ukraine in its war. 

The European Commission floated draft legislation that would pour $550 million from the EU budget to increase ammunition production. The EU internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said that he hoped that the proposal would become law by the end of next month. 

The Nordic countries have pledged both financial and military support to the war-torn nation. Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway have also joined in the international effort to supply heavier weapons to Ukraine by donating some of their own Leopard 2 tanks or offering financial support to acquire them. 

On Tuesday, Denmark said it was sending 1.7 billion kroner ($250 million) worth of military aid, its biggest donation to date, "to support the forthcoming Ukrainian offensive."

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

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