Finland proposes appointing European envoy for Ukraine
Photo: President of Finland Alexander Stubb (Getty Images)
Europe needs to create its own negotiation team for Ukraine and appoint a special representative for Ukraine issues, stated Finnish President Alexander Stubb in his interview with France 24.
"We (Europeans) need two things. One is a negotiating team, just like the Americans, the Ukrainians and the Russians have. And they had that in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia," Stubb said.
The Finnish President also emphasized the importance of appointing a special envoy for Ukraine to coordinate Europe’s efforts.
"And then probably eventually we need a special envoy who would be kind of in charge and coordinating everything, because right now, although we have really good leadership coming from France and the UK, there is still that question: 'OK, who is the European envoy? Who should I call'" he said.
Coalition of the willing on Ukraine
Recall that on March 27, a summit of Ukraine's allied countries, which joined the "coalition of the willing," took place in Paris. This coalition consists of countries ready to provide troops for a peacekeeping force or offer other assistance to ensure peace in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Representatives from over 20 countries attended the summit, including those from the EU, the UK, Canada, Norway, and Turkey. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also participated.
As a result of the "coalition of the willing" summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that in three weeks, partners would present a plan for monitoring the ceasefire in Ukraine.
Macron also suggested sending "deterrence forces" to Ukraine. According to him, this could become part of the security guarantees, including naval forces, ground troops, and air forces, which could be deployed in strategically important areas of Ukraine after the war ends.
