Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen expressed skepticism that Washington’s pivot towards Russia will bring an end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine, predicting that US President Donald Trump would eventually realize his strategy is ineffective.
These comments follow Trump’s shift in US policy on Ukraine, marking a pivot toward Russia since taking office in January. The reversal of US support amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war culminated in a tense confrontation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on 1 March, followed by the suspension of military aid to Kyiv on 3 March.
Speaking at an event at the Chatham House think tank in London on 4 March, Valtonen said she was “a little bit concerned” by a recent US decision to pause offensive cyber operations against Russia during negotiations aimed at ending the war, Reuters reports.
“This is probably part of the grand strategy that the White House has chosen to see if this course of action can lead to peace, effectively appeasing Russia and putting some pressure on Ukraine,” Valtonen said.
Estonia calls for Europe to fill US military aid gap to Ukraine
The Finnish Foreign minister added:
“In my personal view it should be exactly the other way around, and I trust that President Trump and his team will notice in due course that this probably doesn’t work.”
Related:
- Estonia calls for Europe to fill US military aid gap to Ukraine
- Trump suspends all military aid to Ukraine, pressuring Zelenskyy on peace talks
- VP Vance: Peace talks possible if Zelenskyy willing to negotiate seriously
- European powers shift stance on frozen Russian asset seizure
- Senior adviser: US aid pause would be “crippling” for Ukraine
- Trump administration drafting Russian sanctions relief proposal – Reuters