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The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was a “victory” for Putin, Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtona said in an interview with Euronews.
“To be quite frank I was a little bit sceptical about the Alaska meeting,” she said, adding that “it obviously hasn’t led anywhere.”
Ahead of the highly anticipated meeting in Alaska on 15 August, Trump said he’d push Putin to agree to a ceasefire while talks could commence on ending the war.
There was also an expectation that a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy would also be arranged.
So far that hasn’t happened and in addition to maintaining its air strikes on Ukraine, Russia has also stepped up its hybrid war in Europe with a flurry of drone incursions into NATO airspace.
According to Valtonin, Russia refused to compromise on any of its demands regarding Ukraine during the meeting in Alaska and refused to meet Zelenskyy.
“The Russians weren’t willing to sacrifice anything of their goals”, said Valtonin of the meeting.
“They aren’t even willing to meet with president Zelenskyy”, she said.
Instead of progress on peace talks, Russia has also continued to launch air attacks across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv; killing scores of civilians.
Valtonin also said the Alaska summit legitimised Putin both at home and internationally.
“For Putin himself the Alaska meeting was victory because that’s what he wants to be seen as – not only in front of the domestic audience but also elsewhere that he is one of the big boys and meet with the most powerful man in the world,” she said.
Speaking to journalists in Helsinki, she also warned Europe will be on its own carrying the burden of Ukrainian security into the future.
“It’s a given that the US will be out of Ukraine and out of Europe at some point”, she said.
I “don’t think the US will leave NATO, not at all”, but “they [the US] want to see much more European involvement in European issues”, she clarified.
“When it comes to providing the most funding for this effort for helping the Ukraine, that’ll be the Europeans”, she said.
