Finnish President Alexander Stubb has proposed setting a deadline for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, adding that he discussed starting a truce on 29 March with US President Donald Trump, Yle has reported.
The Finnish and US presidents met on Saturday in Florida for an informal discussion.
According to Stubb, ensuring compliance with the ceasefire requires an effective sanctions mechanism in case Russia refuses to accept or violates the agreement.
After his meeting with Trump, Stubb said he got the impression that the US president’s patience with Russia is running out.
He has also emphasized to the US president that Russia only understands strength and that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted.
Earlier, NBC News reported that Trump said in an early-morning phone call on 30 March that he is going to consider imposing more sanctions on Russian oil if Moscow’s attacks on Kyiv do not stop.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” he said.
He also added that he was “very angry” and “pissed off” when Putin criticized the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, adding that the comments were “not going in the right location.”
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil,” he explained his intentions.
Related:
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- UK PM Starmer says sanctions on Russia should increase, not weaken
- How American “culture wars” became Russia’s actual war against Ukraine
- Zelenskyy demands increased pressure as Russia intensifies drone attacks on Ukrainian cities
- Zelenskyy hopes US won’t yield to Kremlin’s demands
