Finland will provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the country's prime minister, Sanna Marin, has said.

The shipment will include 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 bullets, 1,500 anti-tank weapons and 70,000 food packages, Finland's defence minister, Antti Kaikkonen, added.

Speaking after a government meeting today, Kaikkonen told reporters:

The anti-tank weapons can be used to fight armoured vehicles.

Kaikkonen hinted yesterday that the Finnish government was considering scrapping Finland's long-standing policy of not allowing weapons to be exported to war zones.

The minister also said that Finland, which is not a Nato member and shares a long border with Russia, had given the green light to Estonia to send previously Finnish-owned field guns to Ukraine.