Toughest 5% still ahead - Finnish President on peace talks

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said negotiators are closer than ever to a peace deal between russia and Ukraine. He said the toughest 5% still remain.

He made the remarks on December 21, Fox News reported.

"We are probably closer [to a peace deal] than we have ever been in this war," Stubb said.

The Finnish President added that President Donald Trump's Special Envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have spent the past few weeks "working around the clock" to bridge the differences between the two sides. He also pointed to the unity of Western allies after last weekend's talks in Berlin, citing two key takeaways.

"The first is that Europe, Ukraine and the United States were united in our determination to achieve a just and lasting peace... and the second is the idea of ​​security guarantees for Ukraine. So we are almost there, but the most difficult 5% is still ahead," he said.

Stubb suggested that behind closed doors, Moscow's negotiators could be more flexible, calling the contrast between public statements and private talks "quite typical of diplomacy." However, he cautioned that russia's main goal remains "to effectively destroy the existence of Ukraine."

He said he spoke with Trump a few weeks ago and has been working closely with Witkoff and Kushner recently to intensify the talks, adding that "the balance between the carrot and stick in the negotiations is working."

"The russian economy is really not in the best shape. They have zero growth. They have run out of reserves. They have high interest rates and high inflation. And the situation is not getting better," Stubb noted.

He argued that US sanctions targeting russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft have been particularly effective. Stubb said that if russia categorically rejects the peace deal agreed upon by Ukraine, Europe and the US, "then it will be time to tighten the sanctions," "because they work."

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in the meantime, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is preparing several more sanctions decisions by the end of the year - against russian entities, as well as those who assist russian aggression. At least one package of sanctions is planned against individuals working with the russian military industry, in particular, individuals from China.

In addition, Zelenskyy stressed that an agreement to end the war is valid when it exists not only on paper, but is actually implemented, and currently it does not exist, therefore, there is a possibility that it will not happen.