Finland’s president warned that credible guarantees require military resolve.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said European countries offering post‑war security guarantees to Ukraine must be prepared to confront Russia if hostilities resume, arguing that deterrence is only credible when backed by the willingness to use force. His comments were published on 20 September.

Stubb said such assurances are being shaped by a “coalition of the willing” led by France and the United Kingdom, and could include a peacekeeping presence to uphold any future ceasefire or agreement. He added that Moscow should have no role in determining those arrangements, calling security decisions for Ukraine a matter of sovereign choice for Kyiv and its partners.

Russia has publicly rejected the notion of foreign troops in Ukraine to secure a truce or peace deal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova earlier this month dismissed any such deployment as unacceptable “foreign intervention,” while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cast potential European or NATO‑linked peacekeepers in the same light.

On diplomacy, Stubb voiced pessimism that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to engage, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s stated willingness to meet. He said Putin’s strategic miscalculations make it unlikely the Kremlin will shift soon, as Moscow continues to table maximalist demands and resists leader‑level talks while the war grinds on.

Source: Kyiv Independent.