 "If Putin wins in Ukraine, the US loses, Finnish President tells Trump")
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb on Monday said that the US will lose if Russia wins its war in Ukraine as fears mount in Europe about President Donald Trump’s intentions three years after Moscow’s invasion.
“The war in Ukraine is not only about Ukrainian independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity - it is about European security, and it is about American leadership,” Reuters quoted President Alexander Stubb as saying in an interview in Ukraine’s capital.
Stubb made these remarks on the sidelines of an event with 11 foreign leaders marking three years since Russia’s invasion, as Kyiv aims to strengthen support from its allies while its relationship with its primary backer, the US, remains uncertain.
Stubb expressed confidence in the alliance’s strength, noting that Finland, which joined Nato in 2023 after years of balancing its foreign policy, considers itself a “security provider, not a security consumer.”
“We just doubled Nato’s border with Russia. We have one of the largest militaries in Europe. We’ve always kept our defence expenditure up, and for an obvious reason, and that reason is not Stockholm, it’s Moscow."
“If there’s an iota or an inkling of understanding that Putin wins this peace, then the United States will have lost, so I think we need to fight this to the bitter end,” he said when asked what his message to Trump would be.
Europe needs more defence spending
Trump, who controls Nato’s most powerful military force, has questioned existing U.S. military commitments to the alliance, accusing Europe of not spending its fair share on defence.
“There is definitely a shift in the transatlantic alliance … the United States, I think correctly, is putting some demands on Europe of taking more responsibility for its own security.”
“It’s time for the Europeans to step up to the plate and have some skin in the game, so there’s definitely a shift. I am not worried,” he said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn the interview, Stubb put forward a broad vision for a peace plan in Ukraine in several phases.
The first would be a pre-negotiation strengthening of Ukraine’s hand and pressuring of Russia, the second would be a ceasefire with security guarantees for Ukraine supported by Europe and backstopped by the US, and the third would be a peace process which discusses issues such as territory, finances and reconstruction.
Stubb said that Ukraine’s EU and Nato membership, as well as Europe’s security, should be treated as non-negotiable.
Asked about Finland’s potential role in any peacekeeping operation in Ukraine, the Finnish president said it was far too early to talk about boots on the ground.
“In any case, I’d much rather see drones in the air. So I think European support will essentially come more from the air and the sea than the land.”
With inputs from agencies
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