Finland’s President Alexander Stubb boldly declared his commitment to ending the war in Ukraine during a Monday summit at the White House, while Polish commentators lamented the missed opportunity for Polish leadership.
Ukraine Summit
On Monday (18 August) the White House hosted a summit on the war in Ukraine. Apart from Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, participants included French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte. However, a Polish representative was absent. Finland’s president spoke about his attendance.
Finland’s President on His Presence at the Summit
“Some international media might ask, ‘Why is the Finnish president here?’ I believe the reason is that though we come from a small country, we share a long border with Russia—over 800 km—and we have historical experiences with Russia from WWII, the Winter War, and the Continuation War. Looking at the bright side, we found a solution in 1944, and I am convinced that we will find a solution in 2025 to end the aggressive Russian war and achieve lasting, just peace,” Stubb said, concluding, “The situation is very difficult, but that is why we are here.”
“We Missed the Chance”
Political scientist and journalist from the “Gazeta Wyborcza” posted on X: “Listen to what Finland’s President Stubb says at the White House. The Polish president could have said the same today. If he hadn’t intruded unnecessarily or submitted to a walk‑away, Prof. Bartoszewski would not have over‑estimated.” Jakub Krupa, a Guardian journalist, echoed this view, and a former PAP correspondent wrote: “We lost the chance for a Polish representative to say something similar.”
Stubb Remains Skeptical: Trust in Putin is Rare
After the summit, President Stubb said that the details of security guarantees for Ukraine should be refined within the coming week. He remains skeptical about Vladimir Putin’s peaceful intentions amid planned talks with Zelensky. “It is rare to trust Putin. Now we can only wait to see if he has the courage to attend such a meeting, to attend a trilateral meeting or if he will again stall,” Stubb said.
Discussions on the Ukraine War
In Washington, leaders of the USA, Ukraine, selected EU countries, the European Union, and NATO met to discuss peace solutions, security guarantees and the possibility of a meeting between Zelensky and Putin. While many suggest that Donald Trump will arrange a Putin‑Zelensky meeting in the coming weeks, Ukrainian commentators say the concessions Ukraine might offer—or lack—remain unclear. The focus is on territorial concessions, which Putin will undoubtedly demand. Politologist Volodymyr Fesenko emphasizes that there are issues that will be difficult to reconcile, such as the status of occupied territories. Ukraine cannot accept those areas as Russian, and Russia will not relinquish what it seized. Another issue concerns the announced Western security guarantees from Monday in Washington. According to the Polish publicist Vitaliy Portnikow, there is no basis yet to believe that Moscow will accept strong Western guarantees. According to commentators from Kyiv and Western countries, any future peace talks with the Kremlin will demand the swift cessation of hostilities as a condition for further dialogue.
