Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he pessimistically believes that Ukraine could achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the summer, given that the momentum of transactions has slowed and Vladimir Putin is also not interested in agreeing to a temporary truce.
Finland has a 1,300-km border with Russia and joined the NATO alliance in 2023 due to the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. Since then, Stubb has become an influential voice on the wider issues of security in Kiev and Europe.
“We’re here, and everyone knows we have to end this war,” he said. “You see… the collateral damage of this war is shocking.
“Then we have to ask ourselves a question, if it’s a deadlock, if it’s a war of attrition, how long can we allow it to continue?”
In an extensive interview with CBC News in a sprawling official presidential residence in Naantali, Finland, Stub talked about the threat to Russia, Arctic security, and his growing relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. He even had a few suggestions for Canada.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he was pessimistic about the possibility of a ceasefire in the Ukrainian-Russian war before the end of the summer.
Play with Trump
Trump has made headlines over the past few months, inviting world leaders to the Oval Office to attend public meetings, with senior government officials and journalists searching for. Politicians are forced to act cautiously when talking to the often lingering U.S. president. But Stubb has a more casual interaction.
In March, he played golf with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Stubb’s office said the two discussed safety issues at lunch, including Ukraine.
“In Finnish history, few Finnish presidents have spent a lot of time with the U.S. president in physical or telephone or messaging,” Stubb said.
But he said it is important for leaders of a small country to maintain good relations with the head of a big country.
Stubb told CBC News that his approach to foreign policy, especially Trump, is to deal with the reality before you: rather than trying to change the situation, but to figure out how to maximize it.
“So you know, we have a direct, good relationship with President Trump,” he said. “At the same time, I have no fantasies.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believes U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is “deal”, but is important for small countries like him that maintain good relations with larger ones.
“No motivation seems to be”
Although Trump had previously vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine, a ceasefire (not to mention a peace deal) remains out of reach and the increasing sense of frustration is obvious.
After Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the pope’s funeral in April, Staub said he was more optimistic about the possible ceasefire, but now he feels differently.
“It seems that there is no motivation,” he said. “I think unfortunately this summer, we have to grind it and see how it goes into fall.”
Given that Russia refuses to agree to a truce, Stubb insists that it needs to increase military support for Ukraine and that sanctions against Russia are rigid. The European Union hopes to approve its 18th set of sanctions against Russia this weekend, and Stub hopes to see Trump support a group of U.S. senators impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy.
If passed, this measure will suffer from China and India.
Skub said NATO needs to strengthen the icebreaker.
Although Finland is enhancing its defense capabilities along its border with Russia and is ready to preside over the NATO Army ranks, it is also focused on maritime security.
Stubb believes that China and Russia will try to control the larger Arctic, in which case the warmer climate will make the water more navigable, potentially leading to territorial conflicts and increase competition for transportation routes and resources.
Given that Russia has dozens of icebreakers, Stab said NATO needs to strengthen its fleet.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believes the Trump administration should invest in semi-autonomous Danish territory rather than the United States controlling Greenland.
He said Finland has built more than half of the world’s icebreakers. Last year, the country signed an agreement with Canada and the United States to allow all three countries to share expertise and improve ship construction.
Construction began with the Polarmax Icebreaker, the icebreaker will be built in Quebec and Finland and is expected to be delivered to Canadian Coast Guard by 2030.
“The threat from the Arctic is based on security,” he said. “It’s also about economic competition and also about climate change.”
Also elbow exercise?
Stubb is an avid hockey fan and his father Göran Stubb is top European NHL Reconnaissance for decades. In his entire interview with CBC News, he talked about the competition for hockey and the shared connection between Finland and Canada.
“As a kid, I spent the summers in the United States and Canada, studying in the United States, so my heart is often in North America,” he said.
Asked about suggestions on how Canadians can deal with a larger, dominant neighbor next to him, he replied that he believes Canadian-U.S. relations have always been “rock-fixed.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb joked that saunas and ice baths could be Canada’s welcome to the “elbow” slogans of Donald Trump’s tariffs and annexation threat.
“Just keep working with Americans as allies and friends,” he said. “You never panic, you know, stay calm, calm and collect.”
How does he view recent elbow movements? “The elbows are good, but I still think they fight too much on the NHL rink,” he said.
“If sometimes the language seems to have a bit of a rough side, do an ice bath and a sauna. This helps.”
