Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) on Tuesday said that Finland is not prepared to offer security guarantees to Ukraine.
Instead, Finland is preparing to participate in Ukraine's security arrangements.
Orpo made the comments while visiting Hanasaari, Espoo, at a joint press conference alongside Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson.
Journalists asked the leaders whether they had received details on the security guarantees being offered by the United States, and whether they are similar in nature to Nato's Article 5.
Article 5 is the alliance's most fundamental principle. The mutual defence clause outlines that an armed attack on one Nato member is considered an attack on all of its members.
However, Orpo said Finland has not seen any details or a precise proposal about security guarantees. He noted that work would continue on establishing security arrangements — and that was an entirely different matter than security guarantees.
According to the Finnish PM, it's clear that in practice, eventual security guarantees will be determined by large European countries and the United States.
When Washington's 28-point draft peace proposal first leaked to the media, Finland was specifically mentioned in the document as one of the providers of security guarantees. The plan has since been pared down and amended, but Orpo said he was unsure why Finland was mentioned in the draft.
"We have not had any discussions on this issue. I don't know why Finland was mentioned in the paper. We have to understand that a security guarantee is something very, very serious. We're not ready to give security guarantees, but we can help with security arrangements. The difference between them is huge," Orpo said.
Meanwhile, Swedish PM Kristersson said that several European countries are preparing for their own participation in ensuring security for Ukraine.
He suggested that recent discussions about security guarantees can sometimes be misleading.
Kristersson said the strongest and most important security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army, adding that "we can help it remain strong".
He said that European countries can participate in training efforts, as well as equipping Ukrainian troops. This will cost money, which is why the discussion about using Russian sanction-frozen assets emerged.
