Finland

The Baltic states and Northern Europe have reaffirmed their unity against russia's "shadow war. " Sweden joined NATO, and the Baltic prime ministers promised not to abandon their support for Ukraine despite moscow's intimidation.

The European Union plans to provide Ukraine with broad security commitments, including political, military, economic, and reconstruction assistance, by early July, but excluding direct EU military involvement in combat operations against Russia.

Ukraine and Belgium have begun negotiations on a security cooperation agreement, following President Zelenskyy's order and his recent conversation with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Kroo.

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place on May 9 in Malmö, where 10 more countries - Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Israel, Greece, Estonia, Switzerland, Georgia and Armenia - advanced to the grand final on May 11, joining the 10 countries that had qualified from the first semi-final.

Poles are outraged by the behavior of Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil, who recorded a video wearing a sweater with the inscription "Banderaciaga. Social media users have accused her of supporting Stepan Bandera and are urging her not to vote for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024.

Ukraine held another round of negotiations with Portugal on a bilateral security agreement, making significant progress toward the signing of the agreement by their leaders in the near future.

Yermak discussed with former NATO Chief Rasmussen and other international figures a draft report on Ukraine's future membership in NATO, preparations for the Peace Summit in Switzerland, and the need for security guarantees and support from partner countries in the context of the ongoing war with Russia.

Ukrainian singers Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil have reached the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 along with artists from Serbia, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, and Luxembourg.

Ukraine is preparing meetings and documents that will make news in the coming weeks, including new visits by partners, new security agreements, the start of negotiations with the European Union in June, and preparations for the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

President Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who confirmed Finland's participation in the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16.

Ukraine is working to ensure global representation and participation of leaders at the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland to restore the full force and effectiveness of the UN Charter to achieve a just peace.

Ukrainian audio guides and bookshelves are already present in 44 countries, including Finland, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and others. They were installed as part of initiatives to popularize Ukrainian culture around the world.

Finland is increasing its combat capability and preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia by intensifying military agreements with private companies, accumulating the necessary stocks and using its large reserve forces.

Finland is seeking to quickly build a TNT plant to provide Europe with this strategic substance due to an extreme shortage.

According to the Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom, the GPS jamming in the Baltic region is likely a side effect of russian military activities aimed at interfering with the navigation and control of drones.

If elected president, Trump plans to demand that NATO allies increase defense spending to 3% of GDP, excluding aid to Ukraine.

Three Russian students suspected of exporting dual-use goods from Finland to other countries in violation of sanctions face imprisonment.

Finland is in contact with NATO and the EU about growing GPS interference from Russia, which has increased during Russia's war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said.

Russia has suffered enormous military losses: according to French estimates, about 150,000 soldiers have been killed in the ongoing war against Ukraine, and 500,000 people have been injured.

President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is preparing seven new bilateral security agreements, including one with the United States, covering arms, finance, and political cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's security towards NATO membership.

Over the weekend, Baltic ministers warned of the risk of an air disaster due to GPS jamming blamed on Russia, after two Finnish flights were forced to turn around midway due to interference with navigation signals.

Estonia plans to close the Koiduli border crossing with russia to better implement sanctions, reduce traffic and save money. This could lead to a loss of tax revenues for the local municipality.

In Dnipro, a civic organization of families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers demands that the monument to Soviet military leader Vasily Margelov be dismantled and a monument to the soldiers of the 25th Airborne Brigade who died in the war with Russia be erected.

Ukraine and Portugal start negotiations on a bilateral security agreement.

Russia said that the upcoming NATO military exercises in Finland near its borders increase the risks of potential military incidents and escalation of the hybrid war against Moscow.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on international partners to take decisive action and strengthen Ukraine's air defense by providing additional Patriot and SAMP/T systems and ammunition.

Ukraine is nearing the signing of a major security agreement with the United States that will be a strong security guarantee alongside agreements with Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway in May-June, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The documentary In Search of Nika, about Russia's crimes against animals during its invasion of Ukraine, premiered on April 19 and will be available on YouTube in Ukraine.

Finland is calling on the EU to take action to help stem the flow of migrants arriving through Russia, accusing Moscow of using migration flows as a weapon.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic have begun negotiations on a bilateral security agreement to strengthen cooperation in the defense industry and pave the way for Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO.