In Helsinki, we held a trilateral meeting with my Finnish and Norwegian counterparts, Foreign Ministers @elinavaltonen and @EspenBarthEide, building on our leaders’ meeting in Oslo last week.

We discussed the call between the leaders of Finland and Norway and Putin, followed by their conversation with President Zelenskyy.

Ukraine welcomes such active support for our diplomatic efforts and peace process. This call was coordinated with us, and this is the right approach.

We also discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting in the UAE and its anticipated outcomes.

Ukraine wants to end this war. We have doable proposals and solutions. We are ready for partial ceasefires and a full end to hostilities. Of course, everything needs to be fair. We will not take any one-sided steps.

I told my colleagues that Ukraine welcomes the humanitarian operation in Oleshky. This is about saving lives.

We are grateful to @FLOTUS for engaging in this critical work — and for her leadership. We hope all commitments will be followed. There is full readiness from the Ukrainian side and our Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets is coordinating the operation on the ground.

If we see results in Oleshky, this can pave the way for other steps in the peace process — as a confidence-building measure. 

Of course, the reality in Ukraine right now is very tough. Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv, involving 16 ballistic missiles, shows that Moscow continues to choose terror. I briefed my colleagues on the devastating consequences of Russian strikes.

Strengthening Ukraine’s defense remains critical. I thanked Finland and Norway for their vital contributions to Ukraine’s defense and civil protection, and for their comprehensive and steadfast support since the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Finland, Norway, as well as Denmark, Iceland and Sweden continue to show real leadership in supporting Ukraine and the pursuit of a just and lasting peace. We are deeply grateful to our Nordic friends.