President Alexander Stubb reacted at a news conference in Kajaani, Kainuu, on Wednesday, 19 February 2025. Stubb said Europe has to convince US President Donald Trump of the grave consequences – not only for Ukraine and Europe but also for the global standing of the US – if Russian President Vladimir Putin is allowed to achieve his imperialist goals in Ukraine. (Janne Kuronen – Str / Lehtikuva)
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PRESIDENT Alexander Stubb on Wednesday reiterated that Europe must act, not talk after remotely attending the second of two emergency meetings concerning the war in Ukraine called by French President Emmanuel Macron, report STT and YLE.
Stubb said Europe has to find a common stance and secure a seat in the negotiations over an agreement to end the war of aggression prosecuted by Russia in Ukraine. A shared understanding, he added, of what the continent will do is beginning to emerge.
“We have to convince the US that Ukraine’s future is a decisive question not only for Ukraine, but also for European security, the international system and the US’s status as a great power,” he commented. “Our duty is to make that clear and talk to US President [Donald] Trump about what be the consequences would be if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin gets what he wants.”
“There’s a lot of work to be done. I dare say that we’re unfortunately starting from a very weak position.”
Europe, he told, will continue dialogue not only with the Trump administration, but also with members of the Brics Group, including Brazil, China and India.
“We also agreed that the heads of European institutions will announce in the coming days how Europe’s defence will be strengthened,” said Stubb.
Trump launched a wanton attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy no Wednesday, first blaming Ukraine for the unprovoked invasion of Russia and later calling Zelenskyy an unelected “dictator”. After walking a fine line for months, Zelenskyy called out Trump by saying he is living in a bubble of Russian disinformation.
Stubb on Wednesday stressed that he disagrees strongly with Trump.
“Finland will support Ukraine with all possible means. Finland will support Ukraine’s constitution and democratically elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” he emphasised to reporters in Kajaani, Kainuu. “Russia and Putin alone started the war of aggression.”
The Trump administration appears to have made a series of pre-emptive concessions to Putin. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined in Brussels on 12 February that Ukraine should not only abandon the “illusionary” goal of restoring its pre-2014 borders, but also settle for no security guarantees from the US and no invitation to join Nato.
Hegseth was forced to walk back the comments a day later. Trump, though, doubled down on the remarks, describing them as “good” during an exchange with the CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday, 13 February.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
