On May 6, at the invitation of the Minister of Science and Culture of Finland Mari-Leena Talvitie, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi took part in the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Culture from the Nordic and Baltic countries, along with Ukraine.
The gathering brought together: the Minister of Science and Culture of Finland Mari-Leena Talvitie, the Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Sweden Parisa Liljestrand, the Minister of Culture and Equality of the Kingdom of Norway Lubna Jaffery, the Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Denmark Jakob Engel-Schmidt, the Minister of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education, and Minister for Nordic Cooperation of Iceland Logi Einarsson, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Estonia Heidy Purga, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Šarūnas Birutis, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Latvia Agnese Lāce and the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Karen Ellemann.
Discussions focused on shared cultural priorities, including the safeguarding of cultural heritage in the face of natural disasters and security threats, the promotion of media literacy, and the advancement of civic and democratic education.
In his remarks, Mykola Tochytskyi emphasized that culture must be a central part of Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
“Establishing new cultural spaces, preserving tangible and intangible heritage, supporting creative industries, and integrating culture in rebuilding cities are key to making places where people feel safe, welcome, and motivated to come back”, he stated.
Ukraine’s Minister also stressed that culture will be a major focus at the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome. He urged that it stay a top priority throughout the country’s rebuilding process.
He pointed to the importance of putting the Declaration on Strengthening Cultural Sector Resilience in Ukraine into action, especially through key initiatives like the Ukrainian Heritage Fund, the Coalition Against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, and the Cultural Recovery Platform.
Mykola Tochytskyi also informed his colleagues about the serious cultural losses Ukraine has faced due to russia’s full-scale invasion, noting that international experts have assessed the damage to help guide recovery efforts.
He highlighted that russia continues to destroy Ukrainian cultural heritage, including sites protected by UNESCO. Because of this, Ukraine plans to start an international discussion on how well current laws protect cultural property during war — and how to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
“This is a shared and urgent responsibility. No aggressor should be allowed to act without consequences”, he said.
Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine continues to protect and restore its cultural heritage. The government is adopting EU-style legal protections, building digital tools for the cultural sector, and organizing the evacuation of endangered cultural artifacts.
In closing, Mykola Tochytskyi called on international partners to keep up and strengthen sanctions against those responsible for attacks on Ukraine’s cultural identity.
