Nordic countries call for increased pressure on Russia to bring peace to Ukraine

On the day of the NATO summit, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland called for continued support of Ukraine and increased pressure on Russia to bring peace closer.

The ministers have called in their joint statement for an early, unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine to pave the way for negotiations for a just and sustainable peace.

"To reach that, we need two things: continued support for Ukraine – the five Nordic countries have already committed to over US$15 billion of military support in 2025; increased pressure on the Russian war economy – a major and transatlantically coordinated sanctions package accompanied by tariffs on Russia," the statement reads. 

Prior to the summit, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stressed that it was time to increase pressure on Russia to compel it to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine.

In contrast, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration and the US president personally continue to believe that it is not yet time for new sanctions against Russia.