Alexander Stubb on Sunday said he had received an invitation to Kyiv following a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.
In Munich, Zelensky pressed partners for more military assistance.
Asked by the press if the west had failed in backing Ukraine, Stubb said, “if the west had failed to support Ukraine, it would no longer exist.
“This war is too big for Putin to fail, and that’s what makes it quite problematic.”
Stubb told the media that support for Ukraine must be continuous, both economically and militarily, noting that arms deliveries are a current challenge.
“The only thing that Putin understands is power. You show any weakness — any soft elements — and he will attack.”
He also pointed out that Russia must be held accountable for the war in Ukraine and the death of Alexei Navalny. He, however, said it was difficult to say how accountability would be achieved.
“I personally hope that China would get involved. They now are in the drivers’ seat in the relationship with Russia,” he said.
Stubb described his informal meetings in Munich as useful, including discussions with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stöhre, in addition to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The global security meeting marked Stubb’s first public remarks since winning the presidential election.
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