Russia will not win war; Putin must be brought to negotiating table — Finnish President Stubb
Finnish leader Alexander Stubb is convinced that Ukrainian forces have seized the initiative on the front lines. In light of this, he called on the Kremlin not to delay the start of the negotiation process in order to bring the fighting to an end as soon as possible.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing a broadcast on Bloomberg Podcasts.
Responding to a question about the current status of the diplomatic efforts he had expressed hope for this summer, the Finnish leader noted a significant strengthening of Ukraine’s position. In his assessment, Kyiv has significantly improved its situation—from defense capabilities to political and financial support—compared to last year.
Stubb noted that intensive "shuttle diplomacy" is currently underway, and the international community is hoping for at least a partial cessation of hostilities. In this context, he highlighted visits by U.S. officials to Kyiv and Moscow, as well as the mediation efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump.
When asked about the possible impact of high energy prices on accelerating the negotiations, Stubb agreed that this factor plays a role, but attributed it both to Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
In addition, the Finnish leader emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have the upper hand on the battlefield and are, in fact, winning. He backed up his position with two key factors—casualty rates and the pace of advancement:
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The ratio of Ukrainian to Russian military casualties is one to five;
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So far this year, Russia has occupied 900 square kilometers, but Ukrainian forces have already liberated 800 square kilometers.
With this in mind, Stubb emphasized the need to compel Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations toward signing a comprehensive peace agreement.
"That's why I think our message to the Russians is this: 'Listen, guys, you're not going to win this war, so let's try to end it.' Zelenskyy wants peace, Trump wants peace, and now we need to get Putin to the negotiating table," Stubb said.
He also outlined a condition for a possible partial halt to attacks on critical infrastructure.
"If Ukraine refrains from striking oil refineries, then Russia should not strike energy and power supply facilities in Ukraine, especially as winter approaches," the Finnish president concluded.
