Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finnish President Alexander Stubb discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan,” while Finland’s foreign minister has urged Germany to drop its reservations about arms supplies and accept its “very important role,” Euractiv reports.
Stubb and Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen arrived in Berlin on Monday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassy in Germany. The president is due to meet with Scholz on Tuesday.
A German government spokesperson said last week that the two leaders would discuss “bilateral and European policy issues against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine” and “co-operation within NATO.” The meeting would almost certainly include a discussion of a “victory plan” for Ukraine, which presumably could force Russia to the negotiating table.
However, Scholz remained restrained on key Ukrainian demands. Those included an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, and the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range weapons for strikes deep into Russia. Scholz had previously refused to supply such missiles out of concern over the escalation of a military conflict.
We have a responsibility to ensure that the war between Russia and Ukraine does not escalate into a war between Russia and NATO.
Valtonen, for her part, called on Germany to demonstrate military leadership, addressing the chancellor in German.
It must be said in Berlin that we hope that Germany will play a very important role [in the war in Ukraine]. No matter what Russia says, we [must] understand that we aren’t responsible for any escalation because we work within international law.
She echoed statements by Germany’s Christian Democratic opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, who had repeatedly pushed Scholz to supply long-range weapons. Finland also authorised Ukraine to use its armaments against Russian territory in accordance with international law and supported the lifting of the restrictions. Last month, Stubb stated:
You can’t fight the war with one hand behind your back (…), so release the long-range missiles.
