Northern European countries will strengthen collaboration with Ukraine including joint maneuvers

The northern European countries included in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) agreed this Thursday to strengthen collaboration with Ukraine, including kyiv’s participation in joint maneuvers with the bloc.

Within the framework of the leaders’ meeting in Helsinki, the defense alliance has endorsed reinforcing “continuous support” to Ukraine through “an ambitious implementation” of the Enhanced Partnership of the JEF and kyiv. “The leaders recognized the notable progress made to date and the mutual benefits that the partnership has brought to all parties. They committed to maximizing future opportunities for operational collaboration,” stated the joint conclusions of the meeting.

In this context, the bloc of northern European countries has indicated that cooperation with Ukraine “will include the active participation of Ukrainian units in the JEF flagship exercise series” this year.

“They also discussed the future, with the aim of increasing the exchange of tactical and operational experience in modern warfare, including total defense and technological innovation, through greater integration of Ukraine into the broader activities of the JEF,” the joint statement said.

The JEF is led by the United Kingdom and includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands, all of which are members of NATO and the main suppliers of military material to Ukraine in the context of the war.

Regarding its role in NATO, the group of countries agreed to increase “even more deterrence and activity in peacetime”, aiming to contribute to “credible deterrence” and to “react quickly and flexibly”, in close coordination with NATO, in crisis situations.