There is a small window of opportunity to negotiate before the US president-elect takes office, Finland’s Alexander Stubb says
FILE PHOTO: Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the 75th NATO Summit in the US. © Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto via Getty Images National leaders need to be aware that US President-elect Donald Trump is “very serious” about ending the Ukraine conflict, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has told Bloomberg Television. The politician shared his predictions about changes in US foreign policy under Trump after having a phone conversation with him on Monday. He suggested that Kiev’s backers should facilitate negotiations before the Republican takes office on January 20. “I think we in Europe and the rest of the world need to understand that Donald Trump is very serious about getting a peace deal sooner rather than later,” he said on Tuesday, speaking on the sidelines of a climate summit in Azerbaijan. “I have myself said there’s a window of opportunity for these negotiations between the election and inauguration day.” Stubb has been among the most vocal supporters of the Ukrainian cause. Asked if he believed Trump could get a “just and fair” deal for Ukraine, he instead described what a good outcome for Kiev would be in his opinion. He reiterated Kiev’s demands, which Moscow has called detached from reality.
Read more Trump claimed on the campaign trail that he could end the conflict within 24 hours, if American voters put him back in power. He has not disclosed the details of his plan, but media reports suggest he could put pressure on both Moscow and Kiev to force a compromise. The government of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has formulated a pitch to the president-elect, asking him to maintain the flow of US aid in exchange for privileged access to Ukrainian natural resources and other perks, the Financial Times claimed this week, citing sources. Moscow claims the Ukraine conflict is a US-led proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainian troops are serving as ‘cannon fodder’. Russian soldiers have an advantage on the battlefield and are making the fastest progress in months, according to media analysis. The Russian government says it will only accept an outcome that addresses the core causes of the crisis, including NATO’s enlargement in Europe. Finland, a neighbor of Russia, joined the US-led military bloc in April 2023, departing from its traditional policy of neutrality, which it adopted after World War II.
