Poltorak and Niinistö met in Helsinki

Photo: mil.gov.ua

Defense Ministers of Ukraine and Finland Jussi Niinistö and Stepan Poltorak on February 27 had a meeting in Helsinki. This was reported by the press service of the defense Ministry.

At a briefing after talks Niinistö commented on the proposal of the former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen about the direction of the East of Ukraine 20 thousand “blue helmets” from countries that are not part of NATO, informed Reuters.

According to the Minister of defence of Finland, “the idea of labelling some EU countries as more acceptable than others, must be rejected.”

Niinistö said that Finland, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland “will not be able to collect all the troops needed for such operations.” The Minister stressed that “we need more countries”.

Poltorak once again reminded that the uncontrolled part of the Russian-Ukrainian border should pass under the control of the UN peacekeeping mission, and areas of the withdrawal of heavy weapons and equipment.

“We are categorically against the participation in this mission, representatives of the Russian Federation, because the aggressor and the peacemaker be combined in one person”, – he stressed.

The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine began in April 2014. Fighting underway between the Armed forces of Ukraine and Pro-Russian rebels who control part of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In September 2017, the representatives of Russia, Ukraine, USA, France and Germany have started negotiations on the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in the occupied territories of Donbass.