The Finnish Ministry of Defense has launched a new support program for Ukraine, aimed at procuring from its own defense industry.
This was reported by the defense agency.
The government is currently discussing the Ministry of Defense's proposal for an additional funding of 660 million euros for the Finnish defense industry.
The "New Ukraine" program is designed to engage Finnish companies and leverage their expertise in supporting Ukraine. Previously, Helsinki primarily transferred its stockpiles, but moving forward, they expect that assistance will largely be procured from domestic companies.
"With these decisions, we will strengthen Ukraine's chances for fair peace conditions, as well as the business sector in Finland's security industry and the reliability of supplies in the future," emphasized Defense Minister Antti Häkkinen.
The new support program has been developed under the guidance of the Ministry of Defense since the fall of 2024.
Criteria for material procurement will include Ukraine's critical needs, suitability for transportation, and the capabilities of companies for production and delivery. These orders will be sent to Ukraine as part of future aid packages.
Let us recall that at the end of January 2025, Finland allocated to Ukraine a military aid package of nearly 200 million euros.
On the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the country announced that it would transfer 4.5 million euros to the fund “Partnership for a Strong Ukraine” for the years 2025-2027.