MUNICH (AP) — Finland’s president on Sunday urged the rearming of Ukraine and putting “maximum pressure on Russia” through sanctions and asset freezes in the lead-up to possible negotiations sought by the U.S. on ending the war.
The comments by Alexander Stubb came as France was set to host a meeting to help firm up Europe’s answer to assertive American diplomacy.
On the final day of the Munich Security Conference, Stubb and other European leaders sought to plot how the European Union can move from talk to more action and stay relevant as Washington pushes to stop the fighting. He laid out three phases: “pre-negotiation,” ceasefire and long-term peace negotiation.
“The first phase is the pre-negotiation, and this is a moment when we need to rearm Ukraine and put maximum pressure on Russia, which means sanctions, which means frozen assets, so that Ukraine begins these negotiations from a position of strength,” he said.
There were early signs of efforts for a quick reaction from EU leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron will convene top European countries in Paris on Monday for an emergency “working meeting” to discuss next steps for Ukraine after the U.S. announcements last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said his government is working on a plan to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in response t
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