Baltic, Nordic countries to continue to support NATO membership for Ukraine

RIGA - The Baltic countries will continue to support Ukraine's NATO membership, according to a joint statement issued by the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Ukraine, and the prime ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway and Sweden on Monday.

The main priority is to strengthen Ukraine, the nine countries say in the statement, as Liliana Flandere from the President's Chancery informed LETA.

"We unequivocally condemn Russia's ongoing illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. The outcome of the war will have fundamental and long-lasting effects on European and transatlantic security," says the statement.

The Baltic and Nordic countries reiterate their unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. They will further bolster their support for Ukraine.

"To achieve a just and lasting peace Ukraine and Europe must take part in any future negotiations. Ukraine should be given strong security guarantees. And Europe needs to demonstrate its leadership. We are engaging with all NATO allies and EU member states to achieve peace through strength," says the statement.

The Nordic and Baltic countries are among the top contributors to Ukraine. So far, the Nordic-Baltic countries have provided Ukraine with more than EUR 26 billion in military, financial and humanitarian support. They pledge to invest more in Ukraine's defense industry. And they pledge to provide equipment and training for a scalable brigade-sized unit.

"At the same time, we call upon allies and partners to provide more military support to Ukraine as well. We will continue to put maximum pressure on Russia, including through sanctions and measures against the shadow fleet to constrain Russia and its war machine. We underline that just and lasting peace will not be possible without accountability for Russia's international crimes," reads the statement.

It also emphasizes the Baltic and Nordic countries' unwavering support for Ukraine's integration into the European Union. The countries welcome the impressive commitment and reform progress that Ukraine has demonstrated amid Russia's full-scale military aggression. The statement expresses full support for Ukraine's path toward EU membership, including through opening as many clusters as possible, and hopefully all, in 2025.

As reported, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.