By Ilayda Cakirtekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that their troops would not engage in combat activities during potential post-war peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, according to local media.
Orpo ruled out their participation in combat operations and said that Finland would play a role in training and offer expertise in Ukraine after the war, Finnish broadcaster YLE and the new agency STT reported on Friday.
"We'll go into more detail when peacekeeping efforts are pertinent. Big countries like France and Britain will play a central role in peacekeeping. Countries that share a border with Russia will have a smaller role," he said.
Referring to the Coalition of the Willing meeting, which brought together 32 representatives from states, governments, and organizations and was attended by US officials for the first time, Orpo described the shift in the US stance on Ukraine as a “positive development.”
"There has been some ambiguity about what the US and President Donald Trump's attitude towards Russia is. The message from the United States now seems to be that they are now strongly involved in defending Ukraine," he said.
Orpo further said that the shift was driven by Trump's growing "irritation" with Moscow's "continuous war" and "unwillingness" to achieve peace.
He added that efforts to establish new sanctions on Russia are progressing, emphasizing that the US and Europe’s plans “must now be completed.”
"We believe the sanctions packages will put strong pressure on Russia and force Russia to the negotiating table," Orpo noted.