Finland's president on the Ukraine war, golfing with Trump and elbows up

Briar Stewart · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Finnish President Alexander Stubb says helium is pessimistic that a ceasefire tin beryllium achieved successful Ukraine by summer's end, fixed that the momentum for a woody has slowed, and that Vladimir Putin has shown nary involvement successful adjacent agreeing to a impermanent truce. 

Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, joined the NATO confederation successful 2023 arsenic a effect of the Kremlin's warfare connected Ukraine. Since then, Stubb has go an influential dependable of enactment for Kyiv and the broader issues of European security.

"We're coming, you know, to a constituent wherever everyone understands that we person to extremity this war," helium said. "You spot ... the collateral harm of this warfare is mind-blowing.

"And past we person to inquire ourselves the question, if this is simply a stalemate, if it's a warfare of attrition, however agelong tin we let it to continue?"

Speaking to CBC News during a wide-ranging interrogation from the sprawling authoritative statesmanlike residence successful Naantali, Finland, Stubb talked astir the evolving menace from Russia, Arctic information and his narration with U.S. President Donald Trump. He adjacent had a fewer words of proposal for Canada.

WATCH | Stubb connected Putin: 

Teeing disconnected with Trump 

Trump made headlines implicit the past fewer months for inviting satellite leaders to the Oval Office for nationalist meetings, with apical medication officials and journalists looking on. Politicians were forced to tread cautiously portion speaking to the often-volatile U.S. president. But Stubb had a much casual interaction.  

In March, helium played play with Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago successful Florida. Stubb's bureau said the 2 discussed information issues implicit luncheon — including Ukraine.

"In Finnish history, it's rather uncommon that the Finnish president has spent truthful overmuch clip with the president of the United States, either physically oregon connected the telephone oregon messaging," Stubb said.

But helium said it's important for the person of a tiny state to support bully relations with the caput of a ample one.

Stubb told CBC News that his attack to overseas argumentation — and successful peculiar Trump — is to woody with the world successful beforehand of you: Instead of trying to alteration the situation, fig retired however to champion power it. 

"So you know, we person a straightforward, bully narration with President Trump," helium said. "At the aforesaid time, I person nary illusions."

WATCH | Stubb connected his narration with Trump: 

'There doesn't look to beryllium a momentum'

While Trump had antecedently vowed to rapidly extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, a ceasefire — fto unsocial a bid woody — remains acold disconnected and the increasing vexation is apparent. 

After Trump met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected the sidelines of the Pope's ceremonial successful April, Stubb said helium was much optimistic that determination could beryllium a ceasefire, but helium present feels differently.

"There doesn't look to beryllium a momentum," helium said. "I deliberation we're gonna person to grind this out, unfortunately, this summertime and spot however it moves into the fall."

Given Russia's refusal to hold to a truce, Stubb is adamant that subject enactment for Ukraine needs to beryllium increased, and sanctions against Russia stiffened. The European Union is hoping to o.k. its 18th bundle of sanctions against Russia by the extremity of this week, and Stubb would similar to spot Trump enactment a bipartisan measure by a radical of U.S. senators imposing a 500 per cent tariff connected countries that bargain Russian energy. 

If passed, the measurement would deed China and India peculiarly hard. 

NATO needs to bolster icebreakers, Stubb says

While Finland is boosting its defences on its borderline with Russia and preparing to big a contingent of NATO onshore forces, it is besides heavy focused connected maritime security. 

Stubb believes that China and Russia volition effort to exert power implicit a greater swath of the Arctic, wherever a warming clime volition marque waters much navigable, potentially leading to territorial conflicts, and accrued contention for shipping routes and resources. 

Given that Russia has dozens of icebreakers, Stubb says NATO needs to beryllium bolstering its fleet.

WATCH | Why Stubb believes the U.S. should put successful Greenland: 

Finland has built much than fractional of the world's icebreakers, helium said. Last year, the state signed a woody with Canada and the U.S. allowing all 3 nations to stock expertise and ramp up operation of the ships.

Construction is opening connected the PolarMax icebreaker, which volition beryllium built some successful Quebec and successful Finland, and is expected to beryllium delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard by 2030.

"The menace successful the Arctic is security-based," helium said. "It's besides astir an economical rivalry and it's besides astir clime change."

And the elbows up movement?

Stubb is an avid hockey instrumentality and his father, Göran Stubb, was a apical European NHL scout for decades. Throughout the interrogation with CBC News, helium spoke astir hockey rivalries, and the shared transportation betwixt Finland and Canada.

"When I was a kid, I spent summers successful the U.S. and successful Canada, and I studied successful the U.S., truthful my bosom is successful North America rather often," helium said.

When asked for proposal astir however Canadians should grip surviving adjacent to a large, ascendant neighbour, helium replied that helium believes Canada-U.S. relations have ever been "rock-solid."

WATCH | See Stubb larn astir elbows up: 

"Just proceed to enactment with the Americans arsenic allies and arsenic friends," helium said. "You should ne'er get flustered, you know, enactment cool, calm and collected."

And what does helium deliberation astir the caller elbows up movement? "Elbows up is fine, but I inactive deliberation that they combat excessively overmuch successful the rink successful the NHL," helium said.

"If sometimes connection seems a spot connected the unsmooth side, instrumentality an ice bath and a sauna. That helps."