Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes his Russian rival Vladimir Putin’s chances of agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine are “bad”.
“Putin doesn’t want peace,” Stub said in an interview with the BBC that aired on Sunday. Stub said Putin’s initial goal was to make Ukraine “no longer exist”, adding that “he did not change his goals.”
Although Ukraine expressed willingness to consider a ceasefire, Russia remains reluctant to negotiate immediately, especially after the recent U.S. proposal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of trying to “delay” the ceasefire after passing a video link meeting of 29 world leaders on Saturday.
Stubb believes that the international community must maximize Putin’s pressure. The Finnish president advocates for more sanctions, the use of frozen Russian assets and “militarizing Ukraine into teeth” to help end the conflict.
Finland has a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia and has been a member of NATO for nearly two years.
