Finnish president says Trump envoys push Ukraine Russia peace talks much closer
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Sunday that negotiators are closer to achieving a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine than at any point in the war, crediting U.S. diplomacy and the pressure of sanctions on Russian oil as negotiations enter what he described as their most difficult final phase.
“We’re probably closer [to reaching a peace agreement] “More than we have at any time in this war,” Stubb said. Sunday Briefing“
He added that President Donald Trump’s special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have spent the past few weeks “working day and night” to narrow the differences between the two sides.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) shake hands in Kiev, Ukraine, on September 11, 2025. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Stubb pointed out two important conclusions, drawing attention to the unity among Western allies after the talks held in Berlin last weekend.
“The first was that Europe, Ukraine and the United States were united in their determination to achieve a just and lasting peace… and the second was the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine. So we are almost there, but the hardest 5% remains,” he said.
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Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s harsh public rhetoric, Stubb said the contrast between public messaging and private talks is “pretty typical in diplomacy,” suggesting negotiators in Moscow may be more flexible behind closed doors.
Still, he warned that Russia’s real goal was to “basically destroy Ukraine’s existence.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at his annual press conference and invited program at Gostinny Dvor in Moscow on December 19, 2025. (Pavel Bednyakov/AP Photo)
The Finnish president said he spoke with Trump a few weeks ago and has been working closely with Witkoff and Kushner recently as talks intensified, adding that “the balance of carrots and sticks works in negotiations.”
“The Russian economy is actually not doing that well. They have zero growth. They’ve run out of reserves. They have high interest rates and high inflation. And they’re not improving,” Stubb said.
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He argued that US sanctions targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft were particularly effective.
“If Russia openly rejects a peace framework accepted by Ukraine, Europe and the United States, then it’s time to increase sanctions,” Stubb said, “because they are working.”
