“When you ask, it’s probably not something to answer negatively,” Stubb said in an interview with the Yle station on Sunday. He was responding to a discussion of speculation that Europe could become more involved in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, as negotiations mediated by the US have slowed down. “When that will happen is completely impossible to say at the moment,” he said.
The President of Finland thus deviated from his statements in the 2024 election campaign, when he claimed that if Russian President Vladimir Putin called him, he would not pick up the phone. At the same time, he emphasized that peace negotiations can only begin when Russia commits to a truce with Ukraine.
“We probably need a new role for Europe in our peace efforts,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said earlier in Brussels, according to Politico.
Meanwhile, on May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible European mediator, which German officials called inappropriate, including because of his close ties with Russia. According to Reuters, German and other European officials also said that Russia has not changed its conditions for ending the war, and therefore the proposal is not realistic.
There is also speculation about other names, such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel or former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities using drones and missiles. On May 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that as a result of the nighttime massive attack, four people were killed across the country and almost 100 others were injured.
