Finnish President Alexander Stubb told a press conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Monday evening that "it is not our job to tie Ukrainians’ hands" concerning how they use the arms donated by Finland, reports Hufvudstadsbladet.
While saying that it is up to Ukraine to decide whether to use the weapons donated by Finland against military targets on Russian territory, he added that sending Finnish soldiers to Ukraine is out of the question.
"At this stage, talk of sending troops to Ukraine is pure speculation. Finland's position has not changed in any way. We are not about to send troops," he said.
Stubb agreed with a recent appeal by Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to allow Ukraine to use donated weapons systems against military targets inside Russia.
"In a situation where one party is certainly not following the rules of war, it is not our job to restrict Ukraine's behaviour in any way," he told Finnish media representatives at the press conference.
"Let's take a hypothetical example. If on the other side of the border there are Russian forces deployed or arms depots, I see no reason why the weapons and ammunition we donated should be restricted in that area," Stubb explained.
On the subject of a ceasefire, President Stubb pointed out that while this is a prerequisite for peace in the long term, the terms cannot be dictated by Russia.
"A ceasefire would mean that Russia stops its attack and withdraws. Then we can start discussing the issue," he said.
President Stubb, accompanied by his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb, is continuing a state visit to Estonia on Tuesday.
The first day of the visit ended with a state banquet, hosted by Estonian President Alar Karis and his spouse Sirje Karis.
Hufvudstadsbladet provides readers with a photo gallery of the some of the fashion on display at that event.
Split over more EU debt
Around half of Finns oppose increasing the EU's joint debt, according to a fresh survey by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA, reported by the economic and business daily Kauppalehti.
Of the respondents to the poll, 49 percent said they fully or somewhat agreed with the statement: "If the EU plans to take on more joint debt, Finland should oppose the project".
Around one fifth of respondents said that Finland should not oppose further borrowing. A third chose the option "difficult to say".
Views on the issue vary sharply by political party.
The most negative attitude towards more joint debt was found among Finns Party voters, 77 percent of whom are opposed to any common EU debt. A majority of Movement Now (73 percent), Christian Democrats (66 percent) and National Coalition Party (59 percent) also oppose a joint debt project. In addition, there are more opponents than supporters of increasing EU debt among the Centre Party (49 percent) and the Swedish People's Party (44 percent).
SDP supporters were fairly evenly split over the issue. In contrast, only fewer than a fifth of Left Alliance and Green supporters want Finland to oppose a new EU joint debt project.
Three in ten voters surveyed (29 percent) believe that EU funding must be increased if Europe is to have a strong position in the world. A nearly equal number (28 percent) disagree. A very large number (43 percent) in this poll expressed no opinion at all.
The results are based on answers from 2,087 respondents to an internet panel conducted by the pollster Taloustutkimus between 13 March and 21 March.
Looking for a candidate in the EU elections?
Check out where the candidates stand on a wide range of issues with Yle's EU Election Compass. You can also listen to this episode of the APN podcast, where we explore the compass and the election.
Private healthcare strike
Clients of the private healthcare service companies Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, Pihlajalinna and Synlab Finland may see delays in laboratory and imaging services this week due to strikes, reports Iltalehti.
On Tuesday 28 May and Thursday 30 May, imaging services will be affected, and on Wednesday 29 May and Friday 31 May laboratories will be impacted.
All four of the private healthcare companies told Iltalehti that they will be in contact with customers if appointments need to be cancelled. The strikes may affect scheduled tests and delay processing of test results, but will not directly affect the appointments with doctors and occupational health nurses.
The strikes this week follow an announcement by the national labour mediator on Sunday that no settlement had been reached in collective bargaining in the private health services sector where unions are pressing for higher pay scales.
Heat warning
The heatwave continues in Finland, and the news agency STT reports that the Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a warning of several days of sweltering heat across much of the south and centre the country, with temperatures rising to around 30 degrees Celsius.
This is the first official heat warning of the year, and according to the FMI, heat warnings are not normal for May.
Ilta-Sanomat looks farther ahead with a report on the current forecast of pleasantly warm summer weather for the Midsummer holiday later this month.
The latest monthly outlook from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for the week beginning 17 June, Midsummer week, shows slightly warmer than normal average weekly temperatures in Finland.
However, Foreca meteorologist Joanna Rinne points out that this forecast does not say anything about the chances of rain.
Temperatures over the Midsummer holiday are currently expected to average 20-22 degrees in southern Finland, 18-20 degrees in central and northern Finland, and around 15 degrees in Lapland.