Finland will lead a new international coalition for building shelters in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during a press conference with Alexander Stubb, President of Finland.

The civil protection coalition will begin its work on Wednesday, March 19. Finland will assist with the construction of shelters and the involvement of partners.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Finland has significant, valuable experience in shelter construction that is beneficial for all of Europe.

“Today, we discussed how we can share this experience. The civil protection coalition under Finland’s leadership is extremely important for us. Our ministers will sign the relevant document today, which will establish the coalition,” Zelenskyy stated.

The President expressed gratitude to Finland for its willingness to help with the construction of shelters in Ukraine and for involving others in Europe in this effort.

One of the main topics of the meeting was the continuation of defense support for Ukraine, particularly the strengthening of air defense.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that despite the Russian dictator’s statements about halting attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure on the night of March 19.

“That is why defense assistance is needed, support for our air defense is crucial, and pressure on Russia is necessary to ensure safety and save the lives of our people. I thank Finland for such assistance and for the new defense package that was announced earlier,” he said.

The leaders also discussed investments in the production of Ukrainian weapons. Zelenskyy thanked Finland for its decision to allocate €660 million for the purchase of defense materials and equipment from Finnish companies to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On March 13, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umierov, announced the allocation of a new, 28th military aid package for Ukraine. Its value is approximately 200 million euros.

During the meeting, Häkkänen and Umierov also signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries. The aim of the document is to deepen defense cooperation.