During her visit to Kyiv, Finnish Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Elina Valtonen said that she believes that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is the only credible long-term security guarantee Ukraine can receive against future Russian aggression.
According to Reuters, the Finnish chief diplomat supported Ukraine's membership in NATO and expressed hope that it would happen "not in (the) too-distant future".
Valtonen reminded that three years ago, few people thought that Finland and Sweden would join the Alliance, but it is already a fait accompli. Therefore, Ukraine should also strive for full membership, because "no one knows what can happen and when".
The Finnish Foreign Ministry supports US President-elect Donald Trump's call to increase defence spending from 2% to 5% of GDP for each NATO member. Valtonen believes that Europe can do more for its own security.
Trump, who has criticised U.S. aid to Ukraine, said that he sympathises with Russia's position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO. His aides and allies see Ukrainian membership as an unnecessary provocation toward Moscow.