On October 28, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Iceland for the first time on a working visit. The purpose of his visit is to support Ukraine's Victory Plan.
Points of attention
- President Zelensky's visit to Iceland is aimed at supporting Ukraine's Victory Plan and strengthening cooperation with Northern European countries.
- Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Iceland have been friendly since 1992, with Iceland being a strong supporter of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
- Iceland has shown support for Ukraine during the Russian aggression in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, including providing humanitarian aid and signing an agreement on security guarantees.
- Cooperation between Ukraine and Iceland focuses on economy, education, energy, and culture exchanges, despite Iceland's remoteness and small size.
- Iceland, although not an EU member, aligns its position with the EU and NATO and consistently supports Ukraine in international organizations like the UN and the Council of Europe.
Zelensky arrived for the first time on an official visit to Iceland
He arrived in Iceland for the first time on a business visit. I will take part in the fourth Ukraine-Northern Europe summit and hold bilateral negotiations with its participants: the prime ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
According to him, he also plans to meet with the president and representatives of the Icelandic parliament. During their meeting, they will discuss support for Ukraine's victory plan and issues in which the countries' cooperation can be most effective.
In particular, we are talking about financing the Ukrainian production of weapons and long-range weapons, preparing for winter, maritime security, limiting the Russian shadow fleet, defense support, training and equipping Ukrainian soldiers.
The countries of Northern Europe are our principled and determined allies, and the Ukraine-Northern Europe platform is one of our most effective multilateral formats. We continue to work together to realize its full potential.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Iceland
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Iceland were established in 1992, after Ukraine gained independence. Iceland recognized the independence of Ukraine on January 15, 1991 and became one of the first countries to do so.
Relations between the countries are friendly, but due to Iceland's remoteness and size, the scope of cooperation remains relatively small. The main areas of cooperation include economy, education, energy and cultural exchanges. Iceland supports Ukraine in international forums and advocates its territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially after the beginning of Russian aggression in 2014.
Iceland also supports European Union sanctions against Russia and provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Relations between the states strengthened against the background of Iceland's support for Ukraine during a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in 2022. Although Iceland is not a member of the EU, it coordinates its position with the European Union and NATO and constantly supports Ukraine in international organizations such as the UN and the Council of Europe.
Ukraine and Iceland signed an agreement on security guarantees. Iceland undertook to provide long-term economic, humanitarian and defense support to Ukraine.
