Finland president: No indications of Trump withdrawing from Russia-Ukraine talks
Finland's president Alexander Stubb says he expects US President Donald Trump to remain engaged in ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The Finnish president made the remarks in an interview with NHK in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Trump has warned that he might step back from the ceasefire talks if he sees no progress.
Stubb said he speaks frequently with Trump over the telephone, and that he has not "seen any indications of" Trump withdrawing from the negotiations.
He said Trump wants a peace agreement and is trying to persuade Putin to work toward it.
In March, Trump and Stubb held talks in the United States where they also played a round of golf.
Referring to Russia's refusal of an unconditional ceasefire proposal, the president said the only way is "to make the alternative cost of Russia to continue the war too high."
Stubb indicated Western countries need to boost their sanctions against Moscow, adding that the war is not going to end until President Vladimir Putin "realizes that his economy is not going to last."
Stubb added that even if a ceasefire is reached, Finland has "no plans of sending troops on the ground right now." He said, "Our job is basically to provide the deterrence up in the northeastern part of Europe."
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