Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine in Kiev on Wednesday (3 April), as his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenski said he believed Russia was planning to mobilise 300,000 new troops for war by June.
The agreement signed by Stubb and Zelenski made Finland the eighth NATO member to pledge long-term security cooperation and defence assistance to Ukraine.
Finland, which shares a 1,340km border with Russia, joined NATO a year ago.
Stubb said Finland would also send an additional 188 million euros in military aid, including air defence systems and heavy-calibre ammunition. This brings Finland’s total contribution to the war effort to nearly 2 billion euros.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Kiev, Stubb said: “We are providing this military assistance not only for Ukraine to defend itself, but also for Ukraine to win this war”.
“I can tell you that Russia is preparing to mobilise 300,000 military personnel by June 1,” Zelensky claimed at the press conference, without providing any evidence.
“We clearly understand what Russia is preparing for, what it wants, what it wants to recruit for its army,” Zelensky said in a video address later that night.
Zelensky said he had discussed plans and tactics with Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, including ‘the defence of our positions, our pressure on Russian positions, our basic plans for defensive and offensive actions in the near future’.
Zelensky’s comments come as the Ukrainian parliament is reviewing the rules governing how Ukrainian civilians can be called up for military service.
This week, Zelensky signed a law lowering the age of conscription from 27 to 25 and increasing the number of people who can be called up for combat.
At the press conference he said he did not think Ukraine would need to recruit another 500,000 people, a proposal made late last year, but said he did not yet know how many people would be needed.
