In the White House, the President of Finland compared the current war to 1944 – what does this mean

During the meetings of partners in the White House, the president of Finland Alexander Stubb compared the current peaceful settlement to his country's exit from World War II.

"Some international media may ask themselves why the president of Finland is here I think the reason is probably that we may be a small country, but we have a long border with Russia, over 800 miles long. And of course, we have our own historical experience with Russia, starting with World War II, the Winter War and the Continuation War. And if you look on the positive side at where we stand now, we found a solution in 1944, and I'm confident that we can find a solution in 2025 to end Russia's war of aggression and to find and achieve a lasting and just peace," Stubb said.

He added that "the situation is very difficult, but that is why we are here [at the White House talks]."

As a result of World War II, Finland had to cede about 10% of its territory to the USSR (after the Soviet attack in the Winter War of 1939-1940, Helsinki fought on the side of the Nazis in World War II from 1941 to 1944). Although the country did not join the socialist bloc, it became dependent on Moscow in both domestic and foreign policy.

During the same meeting, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that sensitive issues, including those related to the territories, would be resolved only at a trilateral meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump and dictator Vladimir Putin.

• Read about this and other events in the chronicle by LIGA.net on the progress of negotiations.