Donald Trump is the only one who can force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine, Finland's president has told the BBC.
Alexander Stubb also stated that Finland would never recognize occupied Crimea as part of Russia, and he aims to ensure Ukraine becomes an EU and hopefully NATO member once the war concludes.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Stubb spoke in anticipation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with Trump at the White House, stating: I think we can end this war with your help. Meanwhile, Trump affirmed that Putin has agreed to meet him face-to-face in Hungary.
Trump remarked on Friday that Putin wants to get it ended. I think that President Zelensky wants to get it ended. Now, we need to get it done. Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's readiness for dialogue in any format but insisted that Putin must be pressured to conclude the war.
In August, Trump and Putin convened for a summit in Alaska, which did not yield any significant breakthroughs or further meetings involving Zelensky. Stubb noted that Trump had previously questioned his trust in Putin, to which he had responded negatively.
Stubb emphasized the necessity of substantial pressure instead of incentives to coax Russia into peace talks, stating: What we need is not so much the power of the carrot to convince Russia to the negotiating table; it's more of the stick that will bring them.
He viewed Trump as someone who had recently adopted a more stringent approach towards Putin compared to previous interactions.
Regarding the economic situation, Stubb highlighted that Russia's economy, smaller than Italy's, is struggling with depleted reserves, slow growth, and inflation reaching 10-20%.
Stubb proposed to utilize economic threats to influence Russia, particularly advocating for the allocation of €200 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as a loan, conditional on Russia compensating after peace talks.
He also suggested that sanctions should target countries purchasing Russian oil and gas and highlighted the failure of Putin's strategic ambitions.
Stubb asserted that Europe's coalition of the willing is prepared to offer security guarantees to Ukraine, although they require the US’s backing in air defense and intelligence.
Looking ahead, Stubb expressed hope for a dual-phase peace process: first establishing a ceasefire to halt hostilities, followed by a comprehensive peace dialogue. He emphasized the need to pragmatically engage with the realities of international politics to achieve peace.
