Zelensky, Stubb discuss need to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Finnish President Alexander Stubb have discussed the need to bolster Ukrainian air defenses.

Zelensky said this in a new video address, Ukrinform reports.

"Today we have a new package of defense support. We talked in great detail about the need to bolster air defense. We also talked about defense production – about joint projects on weapons, on shells. This is where our countries can do much more together. And we have agreed today that the teams of our countries will work together as actively as before," Zelensky said.

He noted that Finland clearly understands the necessity of Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO.

"I thank you for your willingness to help, to provide arguments in favor of an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO. In general, we can say that the entire Finnish society, all political forces equally understand the importance of our defense in this war for our entire region, for the whole of Europe. And we must not waste time, we must interact more, do more together, and convince other partners to be more active. It's all about our common security, about protecting millions of people from Russian murderers," Zelensky said.

On April 3, Zelensky and Stubb signed a ten-year bilateral security agreement between the two countries. The agreement with Finland was signed to implement the Joint Declaration on Support for Ukraine dated July 12, 2023. Ukraine has already signed eight bilateral security agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine