In Finland, peace talks on Ukraine are considered unlikely before spring

Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes that peace talks on Ukraine are unlikely before spring.

The Finnish leader said this in an interview with the Associated Press.

“I am not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or starting peace negotiations, at least this year,” Stubb said.

In his view, to establish peace in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders must maximize pressure on Russia and President Vladimir Putin in order to influence his strategic thinking.

“Putin basically wants to deny the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and these goals have not changed since the beginning of the war almost four years ago,” the president emphasized.

He suggested using tools such as the hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets in Europe to finance Ukraine, as well as increasing military pressure on Moscow.

Stubb noted that there are three key issues on the path to a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian war: security guarantees for Ukraine, postwar reconstruction of its economy, and reaching an understanding on territorial claims.

The politician added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must “quickly deal with the accusations of bribery and embezzlement.” In his opinion, this scandal plays into Russia’s hands, and he called on European leaders to consider increasing financial and military support for Kyiv.