During a meeting on October 18 between Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the Ministries of Health of Ukraine and Finland signed an agreement aimed at overcoming the negative consequences of the war in the field of healthcare.
Prime Minister Shmyhal announced the agreement on his Telegram channel, highlighting several key points:
Comprehensive Reconstruction Plan: The Finnish government has prepared and approved the first part of a comprehensive plan to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts.
Municipal Partnerships: 18 cities in Ukraine and Finland have established twinning agreements to foster closer cooperation and exchange.
Energy Sector Cooperation: Finland will provide a new aid package that includes various energy equipment. Ukraine has already received 200 transformers, 500 generators of different types, and 8,000 units of related energy equipment from Finland.
Energy Efficiency Funding: Finland has allocated €5 million to improve the energy efficiency of Ukrainian schools, kindergartens, and hospitals.
Addressing Critical Energy Needs: Discussions focused on Ukraine's new critical needs in the energy sector, especially ahead of the upcoming winter season.
Shmyhal emphasized the importance of utilizing Russian funds as the primary source for Ukraine's recovery and stressed the need to prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions.
"I am grateful to Finland for its active role in directing frozen Russian assets to the defense and reconstruction of Ukraine. We are thankful to the Finnish government for more than 740 customs investigations into possible violations of sanctions restrictions," Shmyhal wrote.
Previously, Prime Minister Shmyhal and Prime Minister Orpo discussed support for constructing a shelter system in Ukraine and proposed the creation of a Civil Defense Coalition to enhance civilian protection measures.
Additionally, on October 17 in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed an agreement on security cooperation. This agreement includes assistance in training Ukrainian F-16 pilots, further strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
Meanwhile, the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries have decided to allocate a winter package of energy support to Ukraine, demonstrating regional solidarity and support for Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the challenging winter months.
