Today at 01:03
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump suggest that the American leader is losing patience with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin over Russia’s delays in advancing peace in Ukraine.
Speaking to Finnish broadcaster YLE TV1, Stubb said:
“In my last conversation with President Trump on Thursday evening, there were some small signs that his patience is running out.”
Stubb noted he doubts that a planned meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin will take place in a week and a half, adding:
“That is probably when patience will end.”
According to the Finnish president, Trump remains the key figure in the process:
“He is the only person Putin listens to, and frankly, the only one Putin fears.”
Stubb also recalled his participation in the August 18 meeting in Washington, saying both Trump and Zelenskyy wanted him present. He described the talks in the Oval Office as carefully choreographed: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte opened, followed by major European leaders. If discussions went off track, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was expected to step in, while Stubb’s role was to close the talks and make an impression on Trump.
The Finnish leader underlined that Europe’s goal is for the U.S. to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in the form of air defense and intelligence, but stressed these would be “very different from NATO Article 5.”
Earlier, Trump stated that within two weeks it will become clear whether peace in Ukraine is achievable, and hinted he may adjust his own approach if necessary.
