The foreign ministers of seven Baltic and Nordic nations visited Kyiv on Monday to condemn “in the strongest terms Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, aiming at terrorising the civilian population.”
“These attacks on civilians constitute war crimes. Russia must cease these actions immediately,” the ministers of Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine said in a joint statement.
We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from 🇪🇪🇫🇮🇮🇸🇱🇻🇱🇹🇳🇴🇸🇪, are in Kyiv today in full solidarity with Ukraine. Despite Russia's bomb rains and barbaric brutality Ukraine will win! pic.twitter.com/9hOaYext4y
— Urmas Reinsalu (@UrmasReinsalu) November 28, 2022
According to a statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation met with Ukraine’s state-owned energy company UkrEnergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi and the Deputy Prosecutor General to “send a clear signal about Ukraine’s priorities at the moment.” Kudrytskyi said that Kyiv needs not only weapons but also power generators and transformers. In this respect, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis noted that Vilnius was the first country to supply power generators and transformers to Ukraine.
Similarly, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt touted Oslo’s recent decision to provide Ukraine with $200 million worth of natural gas and $100 million to repair the electricity supply system and other critical infrastructure.
“It is a despicable attempt to use the cold as a weapon to drive people out of their homes,” she said, referring to Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure.
“Russia is trying to sow discord between Allied countries, but our response is the direct opposite. We have never been more united, and our determination to protect and fight for our fundamental values has never been greater,” she further asserted.
Meeting with the President @ZelenskyUA made it clear - we should not lose sight of the main task - Ukraine has to win on the battlefield. Tanks, air defence systems, other heavy weaponry will bring Ukrainian victory faster. pic.twitter.com/stsFKdujz8
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) November 28, 2022
The ministers, who formed the biggest international delegation to visit Ukraine so far, also noted with “interest the discussion on the establishment of an international tribunal” to hold Russia accountable for war crimes committed during the ongoing Ukraine war. In this regard, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs acknowledged that such a mechanism does not exist currently, but stressed that “such a loophole in accountability mechanisms cannot be permitted in order to prevent similar crimes from occurring again.”
“Setting up a special tribunal is not an easy matter; nevertheless, a vast political support would send an unambiguous signal to Russia that impunity will not be tolerated,” he added.
The destructive power of Putin's war machine is no match for the creative heroism of the people of Ukraine and its leader @ZelenskyyUa. I expressed the solidarity of the people of Iceland to him personally today. We will #standwithUkraine until victory and beyond. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/ZL8XyUru60
— Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir🇮🇸 (@thordiskolbrun) November 28, 2022
Likewise, Landsbergis remarked, “I do hope that the countries still undecided about the necessity of the Special Tribunal for investigating the crime of aggression will consider the Ukrainian request.”
The Baltic-Nordic group also called on the international community to continue providing support to “improve Ukraine’s air defence capabilities” in order to defend against Russia’s “inhumane attacks.”
“The strongest message from this visit is: Ukraine needs to win this war and therefore that the Western support should be stronger; more heavy weaponry without any political caveats, also including long distance missiles,” Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told Reuters.
FM @Haavisto: Nordic and Baltic Foreign Ministers met today with Ukraine’s FM @DmytroKuleba. Strong message of solidarity and continued support to Ukraine. Focus on immediate needs but and also on European path of Ukraine. Thank you for hosting us in Kyiv. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/0bf2fBJT32
— MFA Finland 🇫🇮 (@Ulkoministerio) November 28, 2022
Keeping this in mind, Sweden announced a $279 million package of air defence systems, ammunition, all-terrain vehicles, and personal winter gear for Ukrainian troops, while Finland vowed to take in more Ukrainian refugees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the support from the Baltic-Nordic countries, saying, “We especially appreciate the support for the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, medical aid and rehabilitation of our wounded, conducting educational and training missions, which are so important for the Ukrainian military, and support for the forced migrants from Ukraine who went abroad because of the war.”
We continue to fight for our common values & peace. Met today in Kyiv with foreign ministers of 🇪🇪 🇱🇻 🇱🇹 🇮🇸 🇳🇴 🇫🇮 🇸🇪. Discussed the tightening of sanctions, the reconstruction of energy infrastructure & financial support. Called for support for 🇺🇦's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. pic.twitter.com/DGaZ7fcoKX
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) November 28, 2022
The ministers also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU) and commended its “determination to ensure progress in implementing reforms necessary for further steps in its EU-accession process.” “We reiterate each country’s sovereign right to choose their own security arrangements,” they underlined.