Finland Signs 7 Documents Worth €300 Million with Ukraine: Drone Joint Venture, Donation of 10 Diesel Locomotives

KYIV

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo held talks in Kyiv on the 22nd (local time) and signed seven documents between the two nations' governments and enterprises. President Zelenskyy stated at a joint press conference that "the total value of today's agreements is around €300 million." Finland unveiled a new support package worth €10 million. President Zelenskyy said that under the "Drone Deal" signed by the two countries last month, measures worth €200 million are currently underway. The signed documents included a joint venture for unmanned systems with the Patria Group, satellite communications cooperation with Nokia Defense and ICEYE, and the donation of 10 diesel locomotives.

President Zelenskyy puts total value of day's agreements at around €300 million

The Office of the President of Ukraine successively released the address at the business forum at 9:52 p.m. on the night of the 22nd, remarks at the joint press conference at 10:08 p.m., the list of signed documents at 10:43 p.m., and the results of the talks at 11:31 p.m.

The presidential office stated that the two leaders discussed strengthening defense, economic resilience, and support for Ukraine during the winter. President Zelenskyy said at the press conference that Finland had provided a new support package and that both countries signed agreements expanding their cooperation. The original Ukrainian text reads: "Сім документів були підписані. І загальний обсяг сьогоднішніх домовленостей – близько 300 мільйонів євро (Seven documents were signed. And the total volume of today's agreements is around 300 million euros)." Following the talks, the president summarized, "Today, there is a new support package for Ukraine from Finland and agreements that expand our opportunities for cooperation." The €300 million figure was presented by President Zelenskyy. In the separate list of signed documents published by the presidential office, individual monetary values for each document were not specified.

President Zelenskyy noted that he had recently met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Norway. The president stated that he maintains ongoing communication with President Stubb regarding security, defense, and foreign affairs, and has also consolidated bilateral relations with Prime Minister Orpo. On this day, President Zelenskyy presented Prime Minister Orpo with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, II class, in recognition of his contributions to supporting Ukraine.

Seven documents feature unmanned systems joint venture, satellite communications, locomotive donation

The Office of the President disclosed seven documents resulting from the business forum covering defense, unmanned systems, transport, satellite communications, and construction. Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs concluded a memorandum of cooperation with Kenno Tech, a Finnish defense company producing protective armored barriers and modular structures. The Ukrainian Research Center for Unmanned Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to continue strategic cooperation with the Patria Group. The two entities reaffirmed their commitment to establish a joint venture in Finland to produce and develop military and dual-use unmanned systems.

The Federation of Employers of Ukraine and the Confederation of Finnish Industries entered into a memorandum of cooperation and agreed to establish a "Ukraine-Finland Industrial Committee." The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine signed a letter of intent on space cooperation with Finnish companies Nokia Defense and ICEYE. The document focuses on enhancing the defense ministry's satellite communication capabilities.

Avantasi Technology concluded a letter of intent with Elematic Oyj regarding industrialized housing and precast concrete plant projects in Ukraine. Bavovna Miltech and Insta signed a joint declaration of intent to build capabilities for producing and developing heavy unmanned aerial systems, such as bombers and cargo carriers, in Finland. The final document was a certificate of donation for 10 diesel locomotives signed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi and Prime Minister Orpo.

President Zelenskyy remarked at the press conference that logistics and energy are key targets of Russian attacks. The president expressed gratitude for Finland's assistance in logistics and energy and welcomed the locomotive agreement signed by the two prime ministers. The two countries agreed to make greater use of Finland's satellite capabilities. In his Ukrainian remarks, President Zelenskyy said, "We also discussed potential cooperation with two companies, Nokia and ICEYE."

Prime Minister Orpo announces new €10 million package, preparation of 36th defense package

According to the presidential office, Prime Minister Orpo announced that the new package amounts to €10 million. Of this, €5 million will be allocated to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, and €2 million to winter humanitarian aid. The remaining €3 million will go toward the Ukraine Recovery Program, targeting key areas in energy and water supply. Mobile heating containers will be delivered by December.

Regarding defense assistance, Prime Minister Orpo said, "Finland will continue to provide Ukraine with substantial military-technical assistance and military training support." The prime minister stated, "This year, we supported Ukraine with five defense packages worth more than half a billion euros." He added, "Right now, we are working closely with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to prepare our 36th package." President Stubb previously stated in New York on the 23rd of last month that Finland had provided 34 aid packages to Ukraine.

Prime Minister Orpo mentioned that during his visit, he saw children attending classes in a shelter at a Ukrainian school. The prime minister said, "It was very painful to see school lessons continuing during ballistic missile attacks." He continued, "At the same time, I was impressed to see children continuing to learn and teachers continuing to teach," adding, "This convinced me that we must do more to help build shelters." At the business forum, Prime Minister Orpo said, "We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."

Drone Deal signed in New York in September leads to €200 million worth of actions

President Zelenskyy thanked Finnish companies operating in Ukraine. The president said, "The Drone Deal with Finland is also actively working, and within its framework, there have already been actions worth €200 million." The president explained that these measures jointly boost both nations' security capabilities. Specific allocations for the €200 million were not disclosed.

An agreement in the format of the Drone Deal was first proposed by President Zelenskyy to Prime Minister Orpo on May 3 in Yerevan, Armenia, during the European Political Community (EPC) summit. The president stated he was ready to share expertise with partners who had helped Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, leaving details to working teams from both countries. On that occasion, President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Finland's decision to provide an additional $300 million in defense support. The two leaders discussed using this package to bolster air defense and redirecting part of it to the PURL initiative.

During a meeting in Tallinn ahead of the Ukraine-Nordic-Baltic Summit on June 9, the presidential office revealed that Ukraine had sent a draft agreement to the Finnish government in May. The two leaders also discussed work on developing European anti-ballistic missile capabilities. President Zelenskyy said, "First and foremost, every military package is a very big help." The president expressed appreciation for Finland's contribution to the PURL initiative and its readiness to make new contributions.

The signing took place on September 23 in New York. The leaders of Ukraine and Finland signed the agreement during a trilateral meeting among President Zelenskyy, President Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The primary agenda of this meeting focused on winter support packages and safeguarding energy infrastructure from Russian attacks. President Zelenskyy stated that by strengthening air defense before winter, they would "deprive Russia of its bet on ballistic terror." The president briefed the two leaders on discussions with the U.S. side, emphasized that there is no alternative to peace, and stressed that pressure on Russia must be increased through sanctions and support for Ukraine. The Office of the President presented this agreement as the 11th agreement of its kind concluded by Ukraine with partner nations. President Zelenskyy said at the time that the agreement covers technology, the sharing of wartime experience, and co-production, extending far beyond the mere buying and selling of drones. President Stubb called it "a two-way process where we learn from you."

In his speech at the business forum on the 22nd, President Zelenskyy stated, "The Drone Deal works," proposing to produce more drones for both nations. The president said, "Our capacity to produce drones here in Ukraine is several times greater than the funding we have available today." The forum was attended by companies from both nations in defense, shelter and protective structure construction, and industry. Businesses discussed co-production in both countries, localization in Ukraine, joint tech ventures, and joint research and development under the Drone Deal.

Ukraine requests SAFE funds and air defense support from Finland

President Zelenskyy brought up joint work under the European Union's SAFE program. The president requested that Finland support co-production and finance arms manufacturing "specifically through the SAFE instrument." The president argued that this serves the interests of all of Europe. In talks with Prime Minister Orpo made public by the presidential office on October 23 last year, Ukraine also indicated that it looked forward to cooperation via SAFE for the procurement of long-range missiles, drones, and artillery shells. In the same meeting, President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Finland's €100 million participation in the PURL initiative and its 30th defense package worth €52 million.

Air defense was also on the meeting agenda. President Zelenskyy mentioned that he discussed air defense with Prime Minister Orpo before the forum, stating that they "focused on air defense." In his Ukrainian remarks, the president said, "I am grateful to Finland for helping in this area as well, and I expect positive next steps and news regarding air defense in the near future." Meeting Prime Minister Orpo six days prior on the 16th in Brussels, President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine constantly requires means to shoot down missiles and drones, noting that "new decisions to support Ukraine will be made as early as this month." The president explained that Russia launched fresh attacks on energy facilities overnight and that day, leaving parts of the Volyn region and Kyiv still experiencing blackouts following attacks the previous evening. The presidential office reported that the president expressed deep gratitude to Finland for always helping Ukraine. Energy cooperation was also addressed in their meeting last October. At that time, the two leaders discussed the restoration of energy facilities hit by Russian strikes and contributions to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Five million euros from the latest package will be allocated to this fund.