Finnish President Alexander Stubb considers the chances of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine are “abysmal.”
“Putin doesn’t want peace,” Stubb said during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired on Sunday. Putin’s original goal was for Ukraine to “cease to exist,” Stubb said, adding that “he has not changed his goal.”
While Ukraine has expressed its willingness to consider a ceasefire, Russia remains unwilling to engage in immediate negotiations, especially following a recent US proposal.
After a meeting via videolink of 29 world leaders on Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of trying to “delay” a ceasefire.
Stubb argued that the international community must therefore maximize the pressure on Putin. The Finnish president advocated for more sanctions, the use of frozen Russian assets and “militarizing Ukraine to the teeth” to help bring the conflict to an end.
Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, has been a NATO member for almost two years.