Munich (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, urged the rearming of Ukraine and placing “maximum pressure on Russia” via sanctions and asset freezes in the lead-up to possible talks sought by the U.S. on finishing the war.
Finnish leader and other European heads at the last day of the Munich Security Conference aimed to determine how the European Union could push from discussion to more action and stay relevant as the U.S. pushes to prevent the fighting.
How does Alexander Stubb propose to strengthen Ukraine?
Alexander Stubb outlined three phases: “pre-negotiation,” ceasefire and long-term peace negotiation.
The first phase is the pre-negotiation, and this is a moment when we need to rearm Ukraine and put maximum pressure on Russia, which means sanctions, which means frozen assets, so that Ukraine begins these negotiations from a position of strength,
he stated.
Don’t underestimate Trump as a negotiator, I genuinely believe that Putin is baffled and afraid what might be coming from there,
Stubb also said.
Right now, the ball is in our court here in Europe. We need to convince the Americans where’s the value added, and then get back into the table.
I think in Europe we need to talk less and do more,
he further said.
The three-day meeting was a cornerstone of crisscrossing diplomacy on matters of politics, economics, and defence and security, with the highest representatives on hand from places as diverse as Syria and KSA, Japan and South Korea, as well as many European heads.
Is Trump’s negotiation strategy causing concern in Europe?
U.S. President Donald Trump’s impulse for a short way out of the Ukraine war has prompted anxiety and uncertainty in Munich. After a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Trump stated he and Putin would likely have a sitting soon to arrange a peace agreement over Ukraine. Trump later guaranteed Zelenskyy he also would have a chair at the table. U.S. officials have suggested that European countries, however, would not be engaged.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed the creation of an “armed forces of Europe” to respond more effectively to an expansionist Russia that could endanger the European Union, too. He also stated he asked his ministers not to sign off on a proposed deal to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth deposits because the proposal was too concentrated on U.S. interests.
