Calls for peace talks and a ceasefire in Ukraine are premature, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of the heads of state and government of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Tallinn.
“I welcome these discussions, but let’s focus on the essential: Ukraine must win this war first,” Stubb said.
The JEF is a Northern European military partnership led by Great Britain. It migrates to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands. All are NATO members.
“Before we can start talking about peace or a ceasefire, we must continue to support Ukraine, and the support must be very practical. It basically means weapons and ammunition so that Ukraine can win this war on the battlefield,” Stubb said. .
Stubb emphasized three principles for Ukraine: independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. Ukraine had to start all talks from a position of strength, he said.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda also expressed strong support for Ukraine. Noting that Russia now feels stronger than Ukraine, he said it would be “extremely difficult” to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
“Hopefully, with our dedication and commitment, it is possible to change the momentum on the battlefield in the better direction. And then of course we will start talking about possible solutions,” Nausėda said.
The Baltic states and Scandinavian countries are among Ukraine’s staunchest backers in repelling the large-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
Support for Ukraine is central during the JEF meeting in the Estonian capital.
