Donald Trump represents the "only figure who can compel" Russian president Vladimir Putin to join peace talks about the military engagement in Ukraine, the Finnish president has stated.
Alexander Stubb additionally mentioned that Finland would never accept seized Crimea as part of Russia, and that he sought to guarantee Ukraine evolved into an EU and preferably NATO member once the conflict ended.
Ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's discussions with Trump at the White House on Friday, at which point he stated to the US president: "I think we can terminate this conflict with your assistance."
At the same time, Trump revealed that Putin has accepted to meet in person with him in Hungary.
Conflict Resolution Initiatives and Financial Pressure
The US president remarked on Friday that Putin "seeks to get it resolved. I am convinced that President Zelensky desires to get it concluded. Now we have to get it accomplished".
Zelensky stated at the White House that Ukraine was ready to engage in whatever format and desired peace, but maintained that Putin needed to be "compelled" into ending the war.
Stubb shared that Trump had previously asked him - during a game of golf - whether he could trust Putin; and Stubb's response was in the negative.
"What we require is not so much the effectiveness of the reward to convince Russia to the discussions, it's more the coercion that will bring them.
"Therefore you have to compel Russia to come to the discussions for peace and that's the deal President Trump is attempting to establish."
Economic Sanctions and Tactical Factors
Stubb was optimistic about Trump's capability, stating he was convinced peace negotiations had likely progressed more in the last eight months during Trump's second term than in the preceding three years.
Russia annexed the Crimean region in 2014 and began a full-scale military operation of Ukraine in 2022.
Stubb emphasized that Finland would never acknowledge Crimea, or the territories of Donetsk or Luhansk, as Russian territory. Russia holds 70% of Donetsk and nearly all of adjacent Luhansk.
He asserted "the exclusive individuals who can decide on the land issue are the Ukrainians themselves".
"I seek to ensure that Ukraine, when this conflict is ended, maintains its sovereignty, maintains its autonomy - meaning becomes an EU participating nation and ideally a NATO member - and further upholds its sovereign borders. That is what we are all striving for right now," Stubb commented.
Economic Challenges and Prospective Prospects
Stubb noted that Russia's financial status - inferior to Italy's - was struggling, with the country's assets depleted, growth "pretty much around zero", and inflation raised to between 10% and 20%.
Stubb recommended economic sanctions should be employed to bring Russia to the discussions, primarily giving €200bn worth of frozen Russian resources to Ukraine as a advance that would be retained there if Russia did not pay reparations after peace discussions.
He further desired to see exports of Russian oil and gas to Europe - which have decreased by 80% - cut off. Restrictions could be put on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, he said, in combined with the recent European restrictions targeting Russia.
Strategic Evaluation and Conflict Resolution Initiative
Stubb asserted "each of the tactical moves of Putin have been an total setback". Russia had been unsuccessful in trying to take over Ukraine, to divide Europe and to split NATO, with two recent members - Finland and Sweden - joined conversely.
He stated Europe's "alliance of the ready" was prepared to provide security commitments to Ukraine, with the key help in the airspace, on the seas and with reconnaissance.
But they required a safety net from the US, particularly in aerial protection, reconnaissance and operations, he stated.
Stubb expressed he hoped to see some outcomes from a dual-stage peace initiative - the initial a ceasefire to end the killing and the subsequent an prolonged peace initiative - "in coming days and weeks".
"We shall persist in pursuing it. The essential is to participate and attempt to find answers and be realistic. In foreign policy you consistently have to deal with the world as it exists, not what you would desire it to be, but let's do peace."
