Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says the name of the Marshal, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (Mannerheim, Carl Gustaf) in the Slavic manner.
He then immediately goes to the European style, and speaks perfect English.
“Mannerheim is very popular in Ukraine”, − he told the correspondent of Helsingin Sanomat, January 24, before the official dinner.
“Today, I have visited his grave and Museum. It was important to me.”
According to Poroshenko, he was in Finland 26 or 27 years ago. With the country’s President Sauli Niinisto (Sauli Niinistö), he met more than once, but in the Finnish capital for the first time.
Niinistö can be proud of the fact that he runs such a confident and cohesive democracy, said the President of Ukraine during a press conference.
According to Poroshenko, Finnish people like no one else understands what is Ukraine in the Eastern regions. After all, the Finns had Winter war.
“Mannerheim — a leader who unites his people. We believe that we will be able to defend their freedom, even though the Russian army is much larger than ours,” he says.
“We are able to defend their country and our European values. This explains the popularity of Mannerheim in Ukraine.”
During the press conference, Poroshenko emphasized the importance of cooperation and understanding and the incorporation of hybrid threats. In Finland this spring, the Center will be established, the EU is studying the incorporation of hybrid threats.
Special emphasis Poroshenko is doing on the cyber threat to Ukraine comes from Russia and dangerous for the world. Cyber threats are considered to be part of a hybrid threat and informational influence and the presence of soldiers without insignia.
“The last time we in Ukraine, the cyber attack was made in December. Russia’s actions are criminal in the fact that it violated international law by seizing the Crimea”.
Poroshenko arrived in Finland immediately after his official visit to Estonia.
“We agreed to cooperate with being there a cyber security Centre of NATO.”
At the NATO summit, which took place in Warsaw last summer, Ukraine agreed to create a body that promotes the increase of cyber security.
“To repel such threats requires constant coordination. It would be nice to cooperate with the EU Centre concerned with the study of the incorporation of hybrid threats that will be created in Finland,” − said Poroshenko.
Now we need to determine what are the forms of cooperation with this Center.
During Poroshenko’s visit, the presidents discussed, including the issues of development of economic cooperation between Ukraine and Finland. During the visit the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Gennady Zubko and Minister of foreign trade and development of Finland Mykkanen Kai (Kai Mykkänen) signed a Memorandum of understanding in the field of energy. The agreement covers areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative fuels.
“This is the beginning, which gives us a good opportunity to move further”, − said Poroshenko on the Memorandum at a press conference.
The energy sector is important for Russia, and energy policy is one of the most important means of influence.
“We hope Europe and the Nord Stream project, 2, which, in my opinion, there are political risks”, − said Poroshenko.
Poroshenko views coincide with the views of the majority of MEPs. In October, more than half of them found the Nord Stream project 2 is not in the interests of the EU. The Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä (Juha Sipilä) stressed that the pipeline is for Finland commercial project.
The energy relationships between Russia and Ukraine are a constant stumbling block. In 2015, approximately 30% of the gas consumed by the EU comes from Russia, and half of this amount was in transit through Ukraine.
Disputes over gas supplies and prices are closely linked to conditions of ceasefire and truce.
It makes sense to listen to EU, Poroshenko said later in an interview.
“They say that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin once said the collapse of the Soviet Union was his great tragedy. For me this tragedy was the collapse of the EU”.
It seems that the President of Ukraine is concerned about the development of the EU. And he has a reason for it: the European Union supported Ukraine for three years, starting with the capture of the Crimea in February-March 2014. The European Union imposed sanctions against Russia.
Riots on the Maidan in the Ukrainian capital Kiev that preceded the takeover of Crimea began after then President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an Association Agreement and free trade between the EU and Ukraine.
“Who didn’t benefit from the EU? France got Germany, even Britain, despite Brakcet. Finland and the Finns” − lists of Poroshenko.
“It is the collapse of the EU is Russia’s task. Putin wants to weaken mutual trust, separate from the European Union state-by-state.”
In the name of unity of the European Union should not bargain about the anti-Russian sanctions. Although, for example, on January 23 the candidate for the post of President of France Francois Fillon (Francois Fillon) said about the ineffectiveness of sanctions. In Finland, for the lifting of sanctions stands out-party “Centre” (Suomen Keskusta) and created his own party Vayrynen Paavo (Paavo Väyrynen).
Poroshenko condemns supporters of the lifting of sanctions.
“When Russia seized the Crimea, it violated international law. This, she encroached on international security”, − said the President.
“Politicians who act in the interests of Russia and advocated the abolition of sanctions, vote against international security. They vote against the security of the homeland”, − says Poroshenko.
“I beg you, show them photos of children in which Russia dropped bombs in Aleppo”.
The President of Ukraine − a fabulously wealthy businessman in a country plagued by corruption
Initially, the 51-year-old Petro Poroshenko − a businessman. The most famous of his enterprises is confectionery Corporation “Roshen”, but the conglomerate also includes the shipyard, the “Channel 5” and the newspaper “Ukrainian Truth”.
He graduated from Kiev University with a degree in international Economics. He has four children.
Poroshenko was an independent candidate in the presidential elections on 25 may 2014 and won the first round with 55% of votes.
This businessman became the fifth President of Ukraine on 7 June 2014.
In the commercial activities of Poroshenko succeeded. According to Forbes, in 2014 his fortune is estimated at $ 1.3 billion.
Notoriety Poroshenko gained from so-called “Panamanian documents”. They say that he registered in an offshore zone on the British virgin Islands company, without notifying the official. Previously Poroshenko has said that he fully refused from commercial activities.
Relationship with “Panamanian documents” indicates the problem, as Ukraine is mired in corruption. Organization Transparency International placed it at 130 out of 167 in the ranking of most corrupt countries in the world. First in the list is Denmark, on the last — Somalia.
Ukraine seeks to strengthen the fight against corruption.
