Today at 21:11
Minister of the Interior of the Republiv of Finland Mari Rantanen has arrived in Ukraine for an official visit.
That is reported by Ukrinform citing the Communication Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
The Finnish delegation took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine on Saint Michael’s Square in the city of Kyiv.
After that the Finnish and Ukrainian delegations visited the Situation Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, where they could observe modern security monitoring technologies used to assess the situation in Ukraine.
During the bilateral talks, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko expressed gratitude for Finland’s support and cooperation within the framework of the Security Cooperation Agreement signed by the Presidents of Ukraine and Finland in March 2024.
“The Nordic countries, in particular the Republic of Finland, are currently helping Ukraine to survive this war the most,” he noted.
Klymenko recalled that in March 2024, the Presidents of Ukraine and Finland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Alexander Stubb, signed a security agreement that outlined the key areas of cooperation — humanitarian demining, civil protection, exchange of experience in border security, combating organized crime, and countering hybrid threats.
The Ukrainian Minister also informed that the war had changed the principles of operation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs system, with the police, rescuers, border guards, and National Guard performing a significantly wider range of tasks than before the war.
“We are changing emergency response protocols, especially at energy facilities. We are also conducting command and control trainings and practicing interaction with the services. And we are ready to hold such trainings together with our Finnish colleagues, as we need to be resilient and ready for any challenges,” Klymenko stated.
In turn, the Finnish Minister of the Interior stated that it is an honor for her to be in Kyiv during this difficult time and to have the opportunity to support Ukraine.
“I would like to note an extraordinary fact: for more than three years now, Ukraine has been heroically repelling Russian attacks, and much of this work has been done by the servicemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We continue to admire your resilience and determination. On behalf of the Republic of Finland, I would like to reiterate that we stand with you and will continue to support you for as long as it takes. You can rely on us completely,” – said Mari Rantanen.
The delegations also discussed the issue of hybrid threats, including countering disinformation in the European segment of social media. To this end, Ihor Klymenko suggested that the partners establish a joint response team to ensure timely detection, prompt response to common destructive challenges and a coordinated common position.
Additionally, the parties discussed issues of border cooperation. The Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs noted that Finland’s shared border with Russia poses security threats to the region.
The parties also addressed the creation of a safe educational environment in Ukraine during the war. The Finnish delegation visited one of the security-oriented and national-patriotic training lyceums of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv.
Currently, there are five such lyceums in Ukraine — in Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih, and Kyiv. According to Minister Klymenko, more than 500 children from vulnerable categories are studying there on full board. This year, the number of students is expected to exceed 1,000.
The Finnish delegation also visited one of the fire and rescue units of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine. Head of the SES Andrii Danyk presented a mobile safety class to the foreign guests.
