Finland’s President Stubb: Ukraine Must Avoid the “Peace” Like the One Imposed on Finland in 1944

Finland’s experience shows that Ukraine should never agree to Russia’s terms, which would result in the loss of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This was stated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a press conference in Helsinki on March 19, responding to a question from European Pravda.

Stubb noted that agreeing to recognizing Russian occupied territories would mean Ukraine would lose key attributes of its statehood, similar to the outcome Finland faced after the Winter War (1939-1940) when the Soviet Union invaded the country.

“The foundation of statehood rests on three pillars: independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. In 1944, under Stalin’s peace agreement, Finland lost two of these. We preserved our independence, but we lost sovereignty in making decisions, especially in foreign policy, and we also lost 10% of our territory,” Stubb explained.

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He emphasized that this issue holds personal significance for him, as the USSR occupied and annexed areas where his grandparents and father were born. Under the peace agreement with the USSR, Finland was forced to recognize some of its territories as part of Russia.

“To your question of whether Ukraine should agree to find itself in this situation, my answer is absolutely no,” he said.

He promised to continue working to ensure that Ukraine preserves both its independence and sovereign right to choose its path toward Europe and the West, as well as its territorial integrity.

Previously, Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, rejected Moscow’s demand to stop arms supplies to Ukraine, calling it unacceptable in light of Russia’s ongoing aggressive war against the country.