Finnish president says he was overly optimistic about peace in Ukraine

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said he was previously too optimistic about the prospects of a peace agreement in Ukraine, noting that his assessment of the situation has since changed.

“I was optimistic for a few months and working on it, but it ended up being a classical Russian delay tactic,” the Telegram channel Clash Report quotes him as saying.

The Finnish president added that the most reliable security guarantee for Ukraine is its own armed forces, which he said should consist of around 800,000 “well-armed servicemen”.

According to Stubb, Europeans must understand that they need Ukraine more than Ukraine needs them, emphasising Ukraine’s central role in Europe’s broader security architecture.