Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, and Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Climate and the Environment of Finland, discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the field of environmental protection.

Svitlana Grynchuk took part in a seminar on the prospects for bilateral cooperation, where she heard presentations by Finnish government agencies and energy companies on the potential for cooperation between Ukraine and Finland.

“Finland is one of Ukraine’s closest partners in many areas, and environmental protection is no exception. Our experts continue to work on joint projects based on the memorandum of understanding signed between our ministries in March 2023,” said Svitlana Grynchuk.

The Head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine briefed Kai Mykkänen on the current issues on the agenda in Ukraine, in which Ukraine could benefit from Finland’s experience.

“It was useful to discuss the Ukrainian experience of overcoming environmental sabotage with the pollution of the Seim and Desna rivers. In the third year of a full-scale war, Ukraine has tremendous experience in overcoming crises related to water resources. But we are also interested in the technologies introduced by Finland to improve the quality of water resources,” said Svitlana Grynchuk.

Svitlana Grynchuk and Kai Mykkänen also discussed improving environmental monitoring systems, an area that Ukraine has been actively working to reform. They also raised the issue of mapping forests and ensuring their sustainable development. They agreed to continue the dialogue and exchange experiences.