Speaking during a panel discussion at his summer residence near Turku, Stubb said Poland deserves such status as an "EU border state".
Western media have recently floated Stubb as a possible EU envoy for talks with the Kremlin, but he said he does not consider himself the right person for that role. "It's important that the big players are at the forefront", Stubb said.
Stubb has emerged as a favorite for the role of liaison with Moscow due in part to his broad international contacts and good relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he spoke repeatedly about peace in Ukraine early in Trump's term and played golf in Florida.
Asked about his current contacts with Trump, Stubb said they are not as frequent as before, as Washington is now focused more on Iran. He also acknowledged that recent U.S. actions "have not been in line" with Helsinki's foreign policy stance, citing the American military operation in Venezuela, threats to take Greenland from Denmark, and the war against Iran.
"I still maintain very close contact with Trump. If not every week, then at least several times a month", Stubb said in an evening interview with broadcaster Yle.
Last Sunday in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and agreed to take the initiative in talks with Moscow. The governments in Warsaw and Rome expressed dissatisfaction with those arrangements.
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Source: PAP