On Thursday 26 March 2026, President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb hosted a JEF Leaders’ Summit in Helsinki.
The programme began with an introduction to the Finnish Border Guard’s offshore patrol vessel Turva and to the maritime operations of the Finnish Border Guard. The vessel’s operations were presented by Deputy Chief of the Border Guard, Rear Admiral Tom Hanén. In recent years, Turva and the Border Guard’s other maritime capabilities have played a central role in preventing and investigating suspected sabotage targeting critical underwater infrastructure. The leaders of the JEF countries also had the opportunity to observe an exercise carried out on board the vessel.
The summit continued with official discussions at the Presidential Palace. The discussions were held in three sessions, covering topics such as the JEF countries’ support for Ukraine and the overall security situation in Europe.
In addition to President Stubb, the summit was be attended by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Siliņa, Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Iceland Kristrún Frostadóttir and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten. Denmark was represented by Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anders Tang Friborg. Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, participated as a special invitee via video link. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy contributed with a pre-recorded video message.
”The JEF is one of Finland’s most important forms of defence cooperation, and it effectively complements other defence cooperation frameworks. We want to continue developing the JEF so that it can operate flexibly and rapidly across Northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea region all the way to the High North, the North Atlantic and the Arctic,” said President Stubb.
According to President Stubb, the JEF nations have successfully adapted to the changed security environment. The meeting also addressed the future role of the JEF. One of the key focus areas will be the Arctic region, with Norway taking the lead in strengthening security in the Arctic.
”We reaffirm our commitment to European security and stability, and to continued and strengthened to support Ukraine”, he said in his closing words. According to the President, European countries are stronger when working together as one.
The day conclude with a dinner hosted by President Stubb at the Mannerheim Museum.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a multilateral framework for defence cooperation led by the United Kingdom. In addition to the UK, the other participants are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The 2027 JEF Leaders’ Summit will be held in Iceland.
JEF Leaders’ Summit 2026 – Helsinki
President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb hosted the JEF Leaders’ Summit in Helsinki on Thursday 26 March 2026.
