Europe needs a team of negotiators and a special envoy for ending the war in Ukraine, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told France 24 television.
“We (Europeans) need two things — one is a negotiating team, just like the Americans, the Ukrainians and the Russians have... And then probably eventually we need a special envoy who would be in charge and coordinating everything,” Stubb said in an interview published on Friday on the station's website.
The president said leadership from the UK and France is “really good,” but it is still difficult for outsiders to know who to call. “OK, who is the European envoy?” he asked.
Stubb participated in the Paris summit of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ this week, a group of EU and NATO leaders committed to supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.
He added: “We want Ukraine to win this war... The French and the Brits took the lead. And the rest of us are following and being engaged as best we can.”
Stub remained reserved about the possibility of the current ceasefire agreements evolving into peace deals.
He said that while Ukraine, the U.S., and the EU want a full ceasefire, Russia is forcing Kyiv into a partial truce—first concerning energy infrastructure and then the Black Sea. “These are all steps in the right direction,” he said about the recently brokered partial truce agreements which aim to stop attacks in the Black Sea and against energy targets.
“But never underestimate the capacity of Russians to break a ceasefire,” he said, adding that Russia bombed energy targets “immediately after” Moscow agreed to the initial truce.
“They'll continue to do it. We need a full ceasefire and that needs to be monitored,” Stubb said.
The president said leadership from the UK and France is “really good,” but it is still difficult for outsiders to know who to call. “OK, who is the European envoy?” he asked.
Stubb participated in the Paris summit of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ this week, a group of EU and NATO leaders committed to supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.
He added: “We want Ukraine to win this war... The French and the Brits took the lead. And the rest of us are following and being engaged as best we can.”
Stub remained reserved about the possibility of the current ceasefire agreements evolving into peace deals.
He said that while Ukraine, the U.S., and the EU want a full ceasefire, Russia is forcing Kyiv into a partial truce—first concerning energy infrastructure and then the Black Sea. “These are all steps in the right direction,” he said about the recently brokered partial truce agreements which aim to stop attacks in the Black Sea and against energy targets.
“But never underestimate the capacity of Russians to break a ceasefire,” he said, adding that Russia bombed energy targets “immediately after” Moscow agreed to the initial truce.
“They'll continue to do it. We need a full ceasefire and that needs to be monitored,” Stubb said.
Northern flank does not freeload
Stubb also commented on the ‘Signal gate’ scandal where high ranking U.S. officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were highly critical of Europe.
“I just hate bailing out Europe again,” Vance wrote in the leaked high-profile group chat, to which Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Finnish president said while the rhetoric was “a little bit tough” it is also effective.
“I think he has done more in five weeks in pushing Europe to take care of its own security than previous American presidents did in 50 years,” Stubb said.
“We are actually reacting to what the Americans are saying, and that's actually a good thing. So put the rhetoric aside and see what's happening on the ground.”
The president highlighted Finland’s 1,340 km border with Russia, obligatory military service and the size of it’s military – which he said is one of the biggest in Europe.
“Up there in the northern flank, we don't freeload. We help. We are security providers, not security consumers," Stubb said.
More In Politics MORE...
