President of Finland: Today Ukraine is in a much better position on the battlefield 0 9

Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that a year ago he was more optimistic about the possibility of achieving peace in Ukraine.

He mentioned this in an interview with The Telegraph.

In the context of the peace process in Ukraine, Stubb pointed out three things that have changed over the year.

"I think now I am more pessimistic, in that sense – more realistic. At the same time, regarding Ukraine, there are three points that are different from last year. First, we are participating in peace negotiations, which did not exist then," he noted.

Furthermore, according to him, today Ukraine is in a much better position on the battlefield than a year ago, emphasizing that Ukrainian forces are pushing back the Russians and reclaiming territories.

At the same time, as a negative factor, the Finnish president mentioned the war in the Middle East.

"What I would have told you before the war in Iran is that the Russian economy is suffering. Before the war, they were facing zero growth, zero reserves, 16% interest rates, double-digit inflation, and the Russian government's inability to pay soldiers. And they expected the budget deficit to rise from last year's level of $83 billion to $130 billion," Stubb said.

He added that now, with rising oil prices and the lifting of sanctions, we do not know what will happen, so this will have a negative effect."

Recently, Stubb also expressed the belief that Europe could reach an agreement with the U.S. president that would help simultaneously address both the oil crisis in the Persian Gulf and the war in Ukraine.

He also mentioned that Ukraine could gain certain benefits from the conflict in the Middle East, which could hinder Russia's military cooperation with Iran.