Johnson and Stubb argue over Ukraine at conference in Kyiv

During a conference in Kyiv, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and British Deputy Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a dispute over Ukraine.

It was reported by the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference in Kyiv with a joke - he thanked Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg for ensuring that the bombing of Kyiv stopped after his arrival, thanks to which people were able to spend the night without air raid sirens: "You are better than the Patriot missile system. We hope that you will stay in Ukraine and also visit other regions of the country."

Immediately after the Ukrainian President, Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke. He spoke about his relations with US President Donald Trump. According to Mr. Stubb, Finland acts as a back office, that is, in the background, mediating and maintaining contacts.

Alexander Stubb, President of Finland. Photo: Euronews.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Stubb from the audience why EUR 300 billion in frozen russian assets were not being unblocked and used for Ukraine.

Stubb replied that the russian assets should be used for reconstruction or reparations for the war in Ukraine, but the problem is that some EU countries, including Belgium, are afraid of legal consequences.

Johnson also wondered why the coalition of the willing could already send troops to protect parts of Ukraine. Instead, russia would have a veto on this issue.

The Finnish President replied that he saw the coalition of the willing primarily as a deterrent for the post-war period. The priority now is to provide Ukraine with weapons, intelligence and financial assistance so that it can continue to fight.

Stubb continued, making a scathing remark to Johnson: "I hate to say this in your presence, but one of the best security guarantees for Ukraine would be EU membership."

The Finnish President seemed to be referring to Johnson's role as one of the main architects of Britain's exit from the EU through the Brexit procedure.

"It took quite a while for you too," Johnson replied.

According to Stubb, Johnson got to the heart of the matter, because Ukraine cannot be allowed to end up in the situation that Finland once found itself in: "This should never happen to Ukraine."

Stubb recalled the period after World War II, when the Soviet Union had a significant influence on Finland's foreign policy decisions.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Stubb previously stated that progress had been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, but added that a peace agreement was necessary before any measures could be implemented.

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