Finnish president urges China to influence Putin to put end to war

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that China can play a key role in establishing peace in Ukraine.

President Stubb made these remarks at the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

"I strongly urge China, in its capacity to influence [Kremlin ruler Vladimir] Putin, to end this war."

At the same time, Stubb emphasised the importance of the Global South in achieving peace.

"There are many representatives [at the Peace Summit] from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and especially the Middle East. This gives me hope that we will be able to get on the path to peace, and I believe it is important that this happens on Ukraine's terms."

Moreover, Stubb called on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war and rejected Russia's "peace initiative".

Stubb believes that Ukraine is now in a better position to start peace talks than it was a few weeks ago, thanks to the support from its Western allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022 that Russia had commenced a special military operation in Ukraine for the purpose of Ukraine’s denasification and demilitarisation.