New Zealand
Finland stands with Ukraine now and in the future, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto in Finland’s national statement on the anniversary on 24 February 2023 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Friday 24 February marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will mark the day in many ways. Finland wants to show its solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and to commemorate the victims of Russia’s aggression.
Finland contributes EUR 5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. With Finland’s support, WFP is buying grain from Ukraine and taking it to African countries affected by the food crisis.
The number of visas applied for at Finnish missions abroad are on the rise again after the pandemic years. However, the number of visas granted was only about one fifth of the number of visas granted in 2019, the year before the pandemic started.