Stubb to Trump: Ukraine could be next big peace deal after Middle East

An Ukrinform correspondent reported this from Washington, D.C.

“I think this [the peace deal for Ukraine] will be the next big one,” the Finnish President said during a meeting with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Stubb recalled that he and several other European leaders had met with President Trump at the White House in August, noting: “I think we did a lot of good advance significant on security arrangements.”

He also praised Trump’s stance on pressuring European nations to stop buying Russian hydrocarbons, and welcomed the decision to raise NATO defense commitments to 5% of GDP, a move initiated by the U.S. President.

The Finnish leader emphasized that Russia has become weaker both economically and militarily, stressing the importance of continued support for Ukraine.

“I think, Russia is actually right now, both economically and militarily, not in a very strong place, and I think that’s because of the commitments we’ve made to Ukraine,” Stubb said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in turn, reiterated that resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains the toughest challenge. He once again referred to the thousands of casualties the war causes each week, calling it ‘horrific’.

At the same time, Trump voiced optimism about the prospects for peace: “We’re going to get it worked out,” he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo met with President Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva