Finland Draws the Line: President Stubb Says Only Ukrainians Can Decide Crimea’s Fate — Not Putin

Finnish President
Finnish President at white house Photo by FMT licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has declared that Finland will never recognize Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk as part of Russia, reaffirming his country’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, according to a report by the BBC. Stubb emphasized that only Ukrainians have the right to determine the future of these territories. \

He condemned Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea as a blatant violation of the post–World War II international order, which is based on respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Recognizing such territorial seizures, he warned, would encourage other regimes to use force to alter borders, posing a broader threat to global stability.

Stubb also expressed his determination to secure Ukraine’s full integration into the European Union and NATO once the war concludes. “I want to make sure that Ukraine, when this war is over, retains its independence, retains its sovereignty — in other words becomes an EU member state and hopefully a NATO member — and also maintains its territorial integrity. That is what we are all fighting for right now,” he said.

The Finnish president further commented on the role of former U.S. President Donald Trump in the conflict, calling him the only person capable of compelling Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.

According to Stubb, diplomacy alone will not bring Moscow to the table — “What we need is not so much the power of the carrot to convince Russia to the negotiating table, it’s more of the stick that will bring them,” he remarked. He noted that while Trump had previously tried to persuade Putin with incentives during a meeting in Alaska, his approach has since grown more forceful.

Despite the ongoing violence, Stubb voiced optimism for a peace process that would begin with a ceasefire and evolve into broader negotiations. “We’ll keep on working at it. The key is to engage and try to find solutions and be pragmatic,” he said. Finland has continued to back Ukraine militarily, recently approving its 30th aid package worth approximately €52 million, which will primarily consist of new equipment purchased from Finnish defense companies.