Media: Finnish president, Italian PM head to Washington

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are en route to Washington, Le Temps reports, citing sources close to the Finnish leader.

According to the publication, Stubb has become the new “best friend” of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The article recalls that in August, Stubb and Meloni visited the United States alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his meeting with the American president.

Since then, the newspaper notes, “exchanges between the heads of state have become much more cordial.”

This trip follows a pattern of intensified U.S.-European coordination under Trump, building on the August 18, 2025, White House multilateral summit where Stubb, Meloni, and other leaders convened with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine peace efforts.

The November visit is expected to focus on Ukraine peace negotiations, NATO burden-sharing, and energy security, amid Trump's push for a rapid resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war via his 28-point plan.

The visit follows the Geneva talks of November 23 that represented a significant, if cautious, step in advancing the U.S.-proposed peace framework for ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev