Finland's President Alexander Stubb believes that a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine is unlikely to be reached before spring and says European allies must continue supporting Kyiv despite the recent corruption scandal.

Source: Associated Press, as reported by European Pravda

Details: "I'm not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or the beginning of peace negotiations, at least this year," Stubb said.

He believes that to bring peace to Ukraine, US President Donald Trump and European leaders must exert maximum pressure on Russia and on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to force a change in his strategic thinking.

Putin "basically wants to deny the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine", and these objectives have not changed since the war began almost four years ago, the Finnish president said.

Stubb outlined three major issues on the road to a ceasefire: security guarantees for Ukraine, rebuilding its economy and achieving "some sort of understanding about territorial claims".

He also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "must deal quickly with allegations of kickbacks and embezzlement".

Stubb noted that this scandal plays into Russia's hands, and he urged European leaders to consider increasing both financial and military support for Kyiv.

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