REVISES DECK, LEDE; ADDS INFORMATION ON TALKS, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks Thursday with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, who arrived in Kyiv.
Stubb was greeted by Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha upon his arrival at the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station.
Yermak said in a statement earlier on Telegram that Stubb would meet Zelenskyy to discuss European integration, security guarantees for Kyiv and additional sanctions on Russia, among other issues.
Following talks in the Ukrainian capital, Zelenskyy said he and Stubb held "substantive" discussions on a wide range of issues, including significant attention to the recent drone incursions reported in Poland.
"Everything indicates that the launch of Russian drones into Polish territory through the airspace of Ukraine and Belarus was deliberate and by no means accidental," Zelenskyy wrote on the US social media company X.
Zelenskyy called for "strong steps" against Moscow's military actions amid the Russia-Ukraine war, expressing his gratitude to Helsinki for its support for Kyiv's work on sanctions.
"We expect the 19th package of EU sanctions. I am also grateful for the support of our path to the EU and the opening of clusters," said Zelenskyy.
He also said that Kyiv values Helsinki's participation in initiatives such as the "Shelter Coalition," a joint initiative by the two countries in May to build thousands of civil defense shelters to enhance Ukraine's preparedness amid the more than three-and-a-half-year conflict.
Stubb said that he and Zelenskyy discussed the Russia-Ukraine peace process and cooperation between his country and Kyiv.
"Unfortunately, process towards peace has not progressed. As the last few days have shown, Russia is not coming to the negotiating table. Russia has not been able to make progress on the front, but has accelerated its attacks on the civilian targets in Ukraine, especially with unmanned systems," he wrote on X.
He added that the strategy of continuing to support Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia will continue.
The two leaders held a news conference following talks, where Stubb claimed Russia is seeking escalation, citing the drone incursions in Poland as an example.
Poland said Wednesday that its airspace was violated by drones amid overnight airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine, defining the incursion as an “act of aggression.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk defined the drones as “Russian,” with authorities initially recording 19 airspace violations.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory during the attacks, which it claimed targeted enterprises of Kyiv’s military-industrial complex in western Ukraine.
It also expressed Moscow’s readiness to discuss the incident with officials from Warsaw.