On 1 July 2022, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen attended the working lunch of EU Ambassadors on the occasion of the opening of the Czech EU Presidency. At the beginning, Ambassador Adam Vojtěch presented the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency, the final form of which was warmly welcomed and highly appreciated by Minister Tuppurainen. The Minister's statement focused on the Russian aggression against Ukraine as an attack on the entire European security and value system. The EU has shown unprecedented unity in adopting strict sanctions against Russia, but Ukraine must continue to be kept on top of our long-term agenda. The energy crisis gives us an opportunity to accelerate the transition to carbon-free energy sources through massive investments in green technologies. We must not resort to isolationism, on the contrary, we whould strengthen cooperation with democratic states within the concept of open autonomy. In the area of security, the Minister expressed her wish that the ratification of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is finalized as quickly as possible and underlined the importance of the successful implementation of the EU Strategic Compass.