Prime Minister Orpo represented Finland at meetings of European Council and Coalition of the Willing

Prime Minister Orpo represented Finland at meetings of European Council and Coalition of the Willing

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo represented Finland on Tuesday 19 August at a video conference for European Council members and at a remote meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Both meetings discussed advancing peace in Ukraine.

The discussions, which focused on support for Ukraine, followed talks in Washington D.C. on Monday 18 August, where United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first met bilaterally and then joined key European heads of state for further talks.

"The Washington meetings were a success in showing how Europe worked together with the United States alongside Ukraine. The outcome moves us forward, but only if Russia shows it is genuinely ready for peace. Now we will see whether President Putin is serious or not. Europe and the United States must be prepared to tighten sanctions if necessary," said Prime Minister Orpo.

"In today's meetings, I emphasised the need to accelerate Ukraine's path to EU membership and to swiftly launch funding for reconstruction. At the same time, we must continue strengthening Europe's own defence capabilities," Prime Minister Orpo added.

Inquiries: Tuomas Tikkanen, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister in European Affairs, tel. +358 40 523 5768, Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 978 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU and International Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister's Office