"He can't": Trump reportedly asked the Finnish president whether he can trust Putin

Tagesspiegel "He can't": Trump reportedly asked the Finnish president whether he can trust Putin Tobias Mayer • 3 hours • 2 minutes read For weeks, the US and Russia have been talking, largely unsuccessfully, about a ceasefire in Ukraine. Now President Trump is said to have asked Finnish President Stubb whether the Russian president can actually be trusted. Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb standing next to him at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach. Both are holding golf clubs. The presidents of the US and Russia have spoken by phone at least twice since Donald Trump took office. Negotiators from both countries have also discussed a ceasefire in Russia-invaded Ukraine. Several weeks after the start of negotiations, however, a statement by Finnish President Alexander Stubb has now raised doubts as to whether Trump even knows what he is dealing with on the Russian side. Stubb met with the US president over the weekend. After returning from the US, he reported to journalists on Sunday about his alleged seven-hour meeting with Trump. The US president allegedly asked his colleague whether he could trust Putin. "I replied that he couldn't," the Finnish public broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) quoted him as saying. Stubb is considered pro-European and a staunch supporter of Ukraine. He said he tried to explain to Trump the "typical Russian behavior": "First, something is negotiated – and then the conditions are changed again." "Putin doesn't want peace," Stubb said in a recent interview with the BBC. Instead, the Russian leader wants to wipe out Ukraine. Ceasefire on April 20? In his conversation with Trump, Stubb insisted on a ceasefire and suggested April 20, Easter Sunday, as a possible date. So far, Ukraine and Russia have only agreed, under American mediation, to refrain from attacking certain energy facilities – and are now accusing each other of violating the agreement. A halt to attacks in the Black Sea has so far failed due to Russia's demand that Western sanctions be eased first. Many observers accuse the Russian president of delaying tactics. These include military experts, the German Foreign Ministry, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X: "Putin is playing the same game he's been playing since 2014." At that time, Putin illegally occupied Crimea before the Ukrainian peninsula was annexed. Before the major attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin had denied any plans to invade. However, Trump has so far shown a tough stance, especially toward Ukraine. He recently threatened Zelenskyy with "big, big problems" if he withdraws from the Rare Earths Agreement. Previously, Trump had, among other things, suspended military aid to Kyiv. When will new sanctions against Russia be imposed? So far, Trump has remained tight-lipped about Russia. Recently, in an NBC interview, Trump claimed to be "furiously angry" with Putin because he wants to depose Ukraine's legitimate leadership. He threatened the Kremlin chief with US sanctions against Russia's oil industry and announced further talks with him in the coming days. Before that, however, Trump himself had harshly attacked Zelensky. He had publicly embarrassed his Ukrainian guest in the White House, called him a "dictator," and at times even blamed him for the war. (with dpa/AFP)