Before the peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called on the Trump administration to step up pressure on Moscow. “Russia could end this war at any moment but is deliberately choosing not to” she told “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. Her message to the United States was clear: “Look at the big picture. Ukraine is ready for peace, Russia is not. Now the United States must exert decisive pressure on Russia so that this war ends”. She added that it was “not up to Zelenskyy” to decide the outcome.
In meetings held in Abu Dhabi, Davos and elsewhere over the past months, Valtonen said it has become apparent that Russia is obstinately refusing peace. She echoed demands from France, Italy and other states that talks with Vladimir Putin should proceed, but that this means a clear refusal: “A telephone call between Europeans and Putin would be a completely wrong signal right now”. The minister highlighted Russia’s recent brutal attacks that have killed and injured civilians, noting that whether a real cease‑fire exists will be revealed in the coming days.
Valtonen stressed that any call with Putin must be tightly coordinated among European governments with a shared understanding of objectives and strategy. “So far I have not seen any strategy” she clarified. She made it clear that such a phone call would neither indicate a change of course nor any rapprochement with Russia. In a peace agreement, she rejected the idea of recognizing Crimea and other occupied territories as part of Russian territory, saying “As Finland’s Foreign Minister, I will never do that”.