Finland announces largest aid package for Ukraine

Finland has announced the 12th military aid package for Ukraine, which is several times bigger than all the previous ones.

According to European Pravda, this was reported by the Finnish Defence Ministry.

The decision was taken by the President of the country on January 19 based on the proposal of the government. Replacement of what Finland passes to Ukraine will cost more than €400 million. The approximate cost of all the aid that Finland has provided to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, together with this package, is 590 million euros.

"The weapons package we are sending now is the largest we've sent so far. Finland is providing heavy weapons and ammunition," said Defense Minister Mikko Savola.

For security reasons, the detailed contents of the package and the approximate time of arrival of these weapons to Ukraine were not disclosed. The minister noted that it was formed taking into account Ukraine's requests and what Finland could provide from its existing stocks.

Provision of some of these weapons became possible thanks to bilateral cooperation between Finland and Sweden: on January 20, the countries will sign a bilateral declaration, which envisages that Sweden will help Finland to compensate for what it has transferred to Ukraine, if necessary. The defense ministries have thought through what and how much they can give to Ukraine so as not to jeopardize their own defense capabilities.

Author - Olena Madiak, 20/01/2023