Nordic, Baltic foreign ministers visit Kyiv, call for improvement of Ukrainian air defenses

The foreign ministers of several Nordic and Baltic countries in the continent visited Ukraine this week. The visit to Kyiv comes ahead of a NATO summit, with the ministers all calling for an improvement in Ukraine’s air defenses.

The foreign ministers of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland visited Kyiv and met with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The visit comes ahead of the NATO meeting that will take place in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday. Following the meeting, the ministers all issued a joint statement calling for efforts to improve Ukraine’s air defenses.

The ministers also said that the sovereignty of all nations would be threatened unless Russia was met with a firm response to its assault. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Twitter that the ministers also discussed stronger sanctions as well as rebuilding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and financial support. The ministers also called on for the world to support Ukraine’s “Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”

Prior to the meeting, Estonian foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu told Reuters that the West needs to step up its support for Ukraine. Reinsalu said that a stronger set of sanctions is needed for Russia to be even more isolated internationally and that “an international tribunal on the crime of aggression” for Russia must be launched.

“The strongest message from this visit is: Ukraine needs to win this war and therefore that the Western support should be stronger; more heavy weaponry without any political caveats, also including long-distance missiles,” said Reinsalu.

“We…are in Kyiv today in full solidarity with Ukraine. Despite Russia’s bomb rains and barbaric brutality, Ukraine will win!” said Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

At the summit, NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance would not back down from providing aid to Ukraine while calling on other countries to pledge more winter aid to Ukraine.

In his remarks in Bucharest, Stoltenberg said the alliance would continue to support Ukraine and that the way for the proper terms for talks to begin would be for Ukraine to advance on the battlefield as it has been doing.

Stoltenberg’s comments were echoed by the ministers from the 30-country alliance that are set to be joined by Finland and Sweden.