President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb participated in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine from 15 to 16 June 2024 in Switzerland.
The conference was attended by nearly 100 countries and 60 heads of state or government. The aim of the summit was to develop a common understanding of a path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“The mere fact that nearly 100 countries and 60 world leaders are participating is an achievement. This Summit is an important step towards peace. If you don’t talk about peace, you can’t achieve it”, President Stubb said.
Discussions focused on the short and long-term milestones of the peace process and who should be involved in the different steps of the it. The conference was held in Switzerland at the initiative of Ukraine. President Stubb spoke at the opening session of the summit as one of 26 countries.
“Finland shares a long border with Russia and we have fought several wars against Russia. Russia invaded Finland during World War II. We lost ten percent of our territory, including the land where my grandparents and father were born. This is why the reaction from our side has been so vehement,” said President Stubb in his speech.
“This has been a good week for peace. Why? Because of this Summit, because of the G7 Summit, because the EU negotiations for Ukraine started this week, and because of the support our NATO Allies give to Ukraine. I think Ukraine actually starts the path towards peace from a position of strength. Much stronger than it three months ago”, the President continued.
President Stubb’s programme also included a number of bilateral meetings. He met President of Chile Gabriel Boric, President of Moldova Maia Sandu, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.
The work of the Summit will continue. Finland is one of the countries preparing the next steps.
