Cliff Notes
- Finnish President Alexander Stubb advocates for a complete ceasefire in Ukraine on 20 April, marking a deadline linked to Easter and Donald Trump‘s three-month tenure.
- Stubb expressed his observations of Trump’s frustration with Russia’s slow progress in ceasefire negotiations, citing typical Russian tactics of changing conditions post-negotiation.
- The discussions contribute to a broader context of heightened security measures in Europe, following Finland’s and Sweden’s recent NATO memberships.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb has suggested that 20 April is a “good time for a complete ceasefire without any conditions” in Ukraine, Yle reports.
Stubb, who is set to meet with Sir Keir Starmer today, said he had spent seven hours with Trump and discussed a range of topics, from NATO membership to Europe taking responsibility for its own security.
During the talks, Stubb said he stressed that a ceasefire must be achieved – and that Finland’s perspective is that 20 April would be a suitable date.
“Why 20 April? It’s because we need a deadline, because it’s Easter, and because Donald Trump will then have been in office for three months,” he said.
The Finnish president said he sensed growing frustration from Trump with Russia’s delays in coming to a ceasefire deal.
“[Trump] is quite impatient with Russia’s actions, this kind of scheming and delaying regarding the ceasefire. I tried to explain that this is completely normal Russian behaviour. First we negotiate something – and then the conditions are changed once again,” he added.
Finland officially joined NATO in 2023 and Sweden joined shortly after.
The two Nordic states had long maintained military neutrality, but that changed when Russia launched its war in Ukraine.