Finnish President Sauli Niinistö attends a conference on support for Ukraine on Monday in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosts the meeting at the Elysée Palace. Heads of state and government from several European countries are taking part in the meeting with the aim of finding ways to support Ukraine more effectively.
Niinistö joins about 20 other European leaders to send Russian President Vladimir Putin a message of European resolve on Ukraine and counter the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is bound to win a war now entering its third year, France said.
The working meeting was announced at short notice because of what Macron's advisers say is an escalation in Russian aggression over the past few weeks.
Those scheduled to attend included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Senior US and Canadian officials will also be on hand.
The trip could be Niinistö's last foreign visit as president. On Friday, after 12 years in office, he is to hand over the reins of power to president-elect Alexander Stubb, who has pledged to continue Niinistö's foreign policy line.
Niinistö has no other official events listed on his public calendar before Friday.
Ukraine and Gaza on the agenda in Geneva
Ukraine was also on the agenda in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, where Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) addressed a High-Level Segment of the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The segment focused on disarmament.
Valtonen assured the council that Finland is committed to global cooperation promoting the universal realisation of human rights. Valtonen stressed that it is vital to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
She also spoke on the conflict in Gaza and the suffering of civilians, which she called "unbearable". Valtonen stressed the need for immediate, life-saving aid, pleading for Israel not to take military action in Rafah.
Valtonen also hosted a high-level side event organised by Finland, highlighting the work of human rights defenders fighting for democracy and civil society freedom. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was to take part in the event.
Valtonen was also scheduled to have one-on-one meetings in Geneva with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, as well as with other foreign ministers and leaders of international organisations.
Topics in Geneva include the situation in the Middle East and Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, now in its third year.
The Council is to take a stand on these and other issues during its six-week spring session, which runs until 5 April.
According to a Foreign Ministry handout, Finland systematically aims to advance the rights of women and girls, gender equality, the rights of people and groups in vulnerable situations, and the implementation of accountability through its work in the Human Rights Council.
Finland’s three-year term on the Human Rights Council began in late 2022 and runs until the end of this year.
27.2: Updated with details of Valtonen's speech.
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