Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has announced that his government will maintain its support for Ukraine and strengthen its defence capabilities.

"The Finnish nation and state stand firmly behind Ukraine. Our decisions at the national level, such as increasing production capacity for heavy ammunition, allow us to support Ukraine in the long run. We are also strengthening our own defence capabilities," Orpo said in a New Year's greeting released by the government.

The prime minister stressed that Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has been going on for almost two years, noting that it has changed the security situation in Europe, while "Ukrainians are bravely fighting for their country, for Europe as a whole and for Western values".

"We are actively working within the European Union to ensure that Europe is united with Ukraine. The start of accession negotiations with Ukraine is a message of hope for the Ukrainian people: Ukraine is invited to join the European family, and it belongs in the EU," said Orpo.

Orpo further added that by accepting Ukraine into the EU, European countries are also committing themselves to supporting Kyiv on a long-term basis.

Meanwhile, in his New Year's address, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö called for investment in arms production to prove that Europe is strong.

In September, Niinistö warned Europe of the risks of an escalation of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The official also said he saw no prospects of the war in Ukraine ending any time soon and considered the risk of its expansion or the use of nuclear weapons to be serious.