War of Ukraine Zelenskyi to give a historic speech in the Finnish Parliament today – President Vanhanen: Government responds to possible requests for additional support

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyi speaks to the Finnish Parliament via video link before the plenary session today, Friday at 1 p.m.

So far, all that is known is that the duration of the event has been estimated at 15 minutes: no further information has been provided on the content of the speech.

Zelenskyi has spoken to the parliaments of several countries since Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine on 24 February.

In his speeches Zelenskyi has thanked the countries for their support, but at the same time hoped for tougher action against Russia. Zelenskyi has expressed his disappointment that the countries of the European Union, among others, have not imposed even tougher economic sanctions on Russia or seceded from Russian energy.

Read more: In his speech, President Zelenskyi divided the EU countries into those standing alongside Ukraine and those from whom he expects more: he urged Hungary to choose his side

Similarly, Zelenskyi has emphasized in her speeches how important it would be for NATO to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Zelenskyi has also demanded more military and financial support from the countries.

There has also been a section in which he has spoken about the links between Ukraine and the opposing country.

Speaking to the Israeli parliament, Zelenskyi compared the experiences of the Ukrainian people to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany and to the British parliament, speaking of the current war to the British-Nazi fighting during World War II. Speaking to the Swedish parliament, Zelenskyi said, among other things, that it is no coincidence that the flags of Ukraine and Sweden are blue-yellow in color, as “both defend freedom, justice and equal treatment of all people”.

It remains to be seen whether, when addressing Finnish MPs, Zelenskyi will raise, for example, the Winter War, in which Ukraine is fighting the Russian forces in Finland. regularly compared.

It is also possible that Zelenskyi commented on the amount of aid sent by Finland. In February, Finland granted a total of EUR 14 million in direct financial assistance to Ukraine, in addition to which it has provided, among other things, weapons, defense equipment and civilian material assistance.

Speaker Matti Vanhanen (center) says it is very rare for a foreign representative to speak to MPs in the Chamber. In 2009, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon spoke to parliament.

According to Vanhanen, the exception must now be understood because the situation is exceptional. He also says that there have been inquiries from many MPs as to whether Zelenskyi will appear in the Finnish Parliament at some point.

“It is important to get first-hand information about Ukraine, and this will give Zelensky himself the opportunity to talk about the situation,” says Vanhanen.

Vanhanen says that the government will react to any requests for additional support, if any, Zelenskyi makes in his speech. Personally, he thinks that it is the task of Parliament in this situation to give Zelensky the opportunity to communicate his views to Finnish decision-makers.

“After the civilian murders were revealed over the weekend, I think there is an even sharper tone in his speech than before,” Vanhanen says.

Read more: The village of Motižin revealed a systematic destruction of civilians – now residents tell HS what they felt: “They had been tortured, beaten to death”

Committee on Foreign Affairs vice chairman Erkki Tuomioja (sd) considers the fact that President Zelenskyi has been asked to address Parliament to be a “strong show of solidarity with Ukraine”.

“This is a historical appearance for us, but for Zelensky this is certainly just one of many speeches.”

Tuomioja commented moderately on possible additional support for Ukraine.

“The government’s line so far has been right and adequate. We have been at least at the same level of support as the other Nordic countries and most EU countries, ”says Tuomioja.

Committee on Foreign Affairs member Anne-Mari Virolainen (Kok) says that he has been waiting for an opportunity for Zelenskyi to address the Finnish Parliament, because before that the President of Ukraine has held a similar event for Sweden, Denmark and Norway from the other Nordic countries.

The Estonian emphasizes that Finland, like other European Union countries, has been active in supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia’s actions, but after the bloodshed, such as the events in Bushan that came to light last weekend, he has felt that the current support is not enough.

“I personally think that if he asks for more support, Finland will give it the support we have. It is up to the governing parties to decide in more detail what additional support may be, ”says Virolainen.

Congressman Veronika Honkasalo (left) like other interviewees, considers Zelensky’s speech historic and says that Finland could do more to help Ukrainians.

“It is completely unsustainable that we buy hundreds of millions of Russian energy in Europe every day and in this way support Putin’s brutal war of aggression,” says Honkasalo.

According to Honkasalo, the exit from Russian energy would be possible, among other things, by accelerating the green transition with large-scale investments.

Regarding possible additional military or financial assistance, Honkasalo says that the government is responsible for making decisions.

“The government has shown that it is capable of very flexible decision-making.”

In the photos, Zelenskyi speaking to the parliaments of other countries: