Finland’s Stubb urges Europe to back Zelenskyy as Ukraine faces corruption scandal

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has urged European leaders to maintain strong support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite the corruption scandal engulfing Kyiv, warning that a ceasefire in Ukraine is unlikely before the spring.

Speaking to The Associated Press during a visit to a military base north of Helsinki, Stubb said that European unity and resilience — or “sisu,” the Finnish term for endurance and grit — will be essential as Russia intensifies hybrid attacks and information warfare across the continent.

Stubb said Zelenskyy must act decisively to address allegations of kickbacks and embezzlement, noting that the scandal “plays into the hands of Russia.” At the same time, he called on European governments to increase financial and military support for Kyiv as Russia makes creeping gains on the battlefield.

“I’m not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or the beginning of peace negotiations, at least this year,” he told AP, adding that it would be positive “to get something going” by March.

Stubb said the road to any ceasefire rests on three major issues: security guarantees for Ukraine, rebuilding its economy, and some form of arrangement regarding territorial claims.

To pressure Moscow, Stubb highlighted tools such as frozen Russian assets in Europe and additional measures to weaken Russia’s military capacity. He praised U.S. President Donald Trump for sanctioning Lukoil and Rosneft in October, saying he did “an excellent job,” but argued that more must be done to allow Ukraine to strike Russia’s “military or defense industry.”

On Zelenskyy personally, Stubb offered strong praise. “I admire a lot of the things that he’s doing because to lead a country in a war ... is existential. You learn a lot from other human beings in that situation,” he said.

Stubb, who maintains a close working relationship with Trump, said he and other European leaders play an important role as intermediaries between the U.S. and Ukraine. “We interpret President Trump to President Zelenskyy and vice versa,” he said.

With negotiations expected to be long and difficult, Stubb said only one quality will carry Europe through: “I guess you need ‘sisu’ in these types of negotiations as well.”

By Vugar Khalilov