On September 12, 2019, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö as part of his official visit to Ukraine.

The official meeting ceremony was held at the Mariyinsky Palace. 

After the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sauli Niinistö in a narrow circle, the Ukrainian-Finnish talks chaired by the Presidents took place.

Moreover, on September 12, 2019, two bilateral documents were signed in the presence of the Heads of State: Agreement between Ukraine and Finland on the mutual protection of restricted information and Memorandum of Cooperation between the State Archives Service of Ukraine and the National Archives of Finland. 

Following the meetings Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sauli Niinistö held a joint press conference for the representatives of Ukrainian, Finnish and foreign media.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine will increase military cooperation with Finland  

Ukraine and Finland agreed to increase military cooperation and develop dialogue between defense agencies. It was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference following a meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

The Head of State thanked Finland for supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"I informed Mr. President of the security situation in Donbas, and we exchanged views on further steps to end the war. It is important that our partners take a firm stance on maintaining the regime of sanctions against the Russian Federation until the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the President stressed.

In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for the support in the process of humanitarian demining in eastern Ukraine and for the activity of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.

For his part, Sauli Niinistö emphasized that Finland had always supported and appreciated the principles of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, the President of Finland noted the fruitful work of Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine is interested in Finland's experience in energy saving, efficient use of forests and land reform - Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is satisfied with the results of negotiations with the Finnish side. The Head of State noted this at a press conference following a meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö. He also congratulated his Finnish counterpart on an official visit to Kyiv, noting that it was their first personal meeting.

“We have agreed to intensify Ukrainian-Finnish economic cooperation, especially in the investment sphere. On our part - transparent rules of the game and protection of investors, on your part, we hope - increase of investments. We are very interested in Finland's experience in the field of energy efficiency, waste management, efficient use and restoration of forests, implementation of land reform,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The Head of State noted that it is extremely important for Ukraine to expand cooperation in the energy sector, particularly energy-saving technologies. "I have drawn the attention of the President of Finland to the issue of the Nord Stream 2. I have emphasized that the given project was a threat to the whole of Europe and its evaluation as purely commercial could cost our European partners a lot in the future,” the President said. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted Finland's leading role in the implementation of the Education Cooperation Program, due to which Ukraine receives advanced Finnish experience in creating a modern school education system.

Finally, the Head of State said that, according to UN studies, Finnish residents are the happiest people on the planet. "The task of our team is to make Ukraine your competitor in this rating," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

For his part, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö assured of the continued support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. He invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Finland.

Sauli Niinistö noted that the Ukrainian President and Parliament actively worked over reforms. “We all know that reforms are difficult to implement. I want to wish you success in this important issue,” the President of Finland noted.

According to him, Ukraine and Finland cooperate in the field of education and energy. The Finnish side is also interested in cooperation in the field of renewable energy. “Another element of our discussion concerned your preparation for land reform. I would like to tell you that land resources and forests are the things that work synchronously. We have done a great deal of work in the field of forestry: how to maintain it in a sustainable way so that forest areas make a great contribution not only to the economy of the country, but also to improving the life of society,” he said.

Ukraine insists on the meeting in the Normandy format at the highest level in September - Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukraine insists that a meeting in the Normandy format at the level of heads of state should take place already in September, as stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives in Kyiv after the meeting with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

"We insist that this meeting must be held in September. Because the end of the war, the return of all our prisoners is a priority for me as President of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, answering questions about a possible date of the meeting in the Normandy format.

As for whether Ukraine would agree to use the so-called Steinmeier formula for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that on September 2, a meeting in the Normandy format had been held at the level of representatives of four countries, which had discussed all issues, including the mentioned formula.

The President of Ukraine noted that the given issue would be considered by the leaders of the countries participating in the Normandy format. "The Steinmeier formula and all the points of the Minsk agreements will be considered, the decision will be made by the leaders of four countries. As I said, we have to discuss all the points of the Minsk agreements,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

He emphasized that Ukraine was guided by the position of preserving national interests in the negotiations.

"You know perfectly well that I did not sign these Minsk agreements, but we understand that the responsibility is now on me. Nobody takes this responsibility away, because it is our country. And we will work and fight to protect Ukrainian interests,” the Head of State said.

“We believe in that. We hope and we, together with our diplomatic “army”, do everything for this meeting to be held shortly,” he added.

President of Ukraine V.Zelenskyy: We discuss terms and stages of the return of all detained Ukrainians within the Trilateral Contact Group

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy notes that along with the preparation to a meeting in the Normandy format, the parties are working over the roadmap of the implementation of the Minsk agreements with the definition of clear terms of stages’ implementation.

“We will really prepare to the Normandy format. There are Minsk agreements, there is a Normandy format. Apart from this, we are elaborating a roadmap of the implementation of the Minsk agreements with clear terms. This is the most important thing for me,” the Head of State said during a press conference with President of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

“We will not waste a single day waiting only for the meeting in the Normandy format. You know that we have meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk. In Minsk, we discuss the stages of the return of all our citizens. Deadlines and stages,” the President added.

The Head of State also congratulated the Ukrainians detained in the Russian Federation on the return to their Homeland. "It's a great happiness for the families of these people and for each of us," he said.

For his part, Sauli Niinistö said that Finland had consistently supported Ukraine and was ready to continue to do so.

"This is not related to the EU presidency. We did the same thing in the beginning of the crisis and the events in Crimea. I have met many of my colleagues around the world and have always touched upon the Ukrainian issue during these meetings. Hence, this issue is on our agenda and it will remain so,” the Finnish President said.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/all?date-from=13-09-2018&date-to=13-09-2019&page=2