Finnish president in Germany for Trump envoy meeting, skipped formal talks

Finnish President Alexander Stubb made a surprise visit to Berlin, where talks to end the war in Ukraine were taking place, and although he did not take part in them, he met with US President Donald Trump’s envoys Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Berlin Adlon Hotel on Sunday evening, the German newspaper Bild reported.

"He is supposed to act as a neutral mediator between Ukraine and the US… And this time the West can hope that Stubb will influence American negotiators," the newspaper reported on Monday.

Witkoff and Kushner arrived at the hotel at 9:57 p.m., after the first round of talks ended on Sunday and continued on Monday. The content of Stubb’s conversation with Trump’s envoys was not disclosed.

The publication recalls that Stubb had previously convinced Trump that Vladimir Putin could not be trusted, and also stated that the US president was quite impatient with the actions of the Russian Federation and the delay in the ceasefire.

As reported, Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on Sunday, December 14, for a visit. Efforts to mediate the expected ceasefire between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which began in Berlin with the participation of the President of Ukraine and Trump’s envoys, will continue on Monday.

Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz is also participating in the negotiations on the Ukrainian side. In addition to him and Zelensky, the meeting is attended by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov, Chief of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia, and Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Oleksandr Bevz.

According to the photo, in addition to Witkoff and Kushner, the meeting is also attended by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Lieutenant General Alexus Hrynkevich, from the American side.