Stubb: Trump’s patience with Putin is running out

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said that his recent conversations with President Donald Trump show that the American leader’s patience with Vladimir Putin is almost running out due to Russia’s protracted peace talks.

“In my last conversation with President Trump on Thursday night, there were some signs that his patience is running out,” Stubb as saying in an interview with Finnish media published on Saturday (23 August).

At the same time, Stubb believes that it is unlikely that Putin will agree to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a week and a half, as planned. According to him, this will be the turning point.

“Then (Trump’s) patience will probably run out,” he believes. At the same time, the Finnish president stressed that Trump is the only person who can force Putin to make peace.

“He is the only one Putin listens to, and frankly, the only one Putin is afraid of,” Stubb is convinced.

European leaders fear that Trump’s waning interest in Ukraine peace talks could leave Europe to support Ukraine alone.

The relationship between Trump and Stubb has developed into an unexpected dynamic. On 29 March, Stubb made a surprise visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two leaders shared breakfast, played a round of golf, and discussed critical issues like Ukraine and Finnish-built icebreakers, which are vital for Arctic navigation.

This informal setting fostered a personal rapport, with Trump praising Stubb’s golf skills on Truth Social and Stubb leveraging his Furman University golf scholarship days to connect with Trump. Their frequent texts and calls – sometimes at odd hours – have positioned Stubb as a key European confidant for Trump, particularly on Russia and Ukraine, with Stubb acting as a conduit between Trump, Zelenskyy, and other European leaders. This bond, rooted in shared interests and Stubb’s blunt, experienced approach to Russian negotiations, has elevated Finland’s role in trans-Atlantic diplomacy, despite its small size and recent NATO membership.

However, an incident during the 18 August White House meeting highlighted a potential misunderstanding of the in their relationship. Despite their prior golfing camaraderie, Trump reportedly failed to recognize Stubb at the table during discussions with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, focused on Ukraine’s peace talks.

This moment, noted in some media as an awkward diplomatic misstep, underscores the sometimes-unpredictable nature of Trump’s diplomatic style, which blends personal connections with occasional oversights. While Stubb has downplayed the incident, emphasizing the productive nature of the talks, it suggests that Trump’s reliance on personal rapport, like their golf outing, may not always translate to formal settings.

Trump renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia on Friday if there is no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine in two weeks, showing frustration at Moscow a week after his meeting with Putin in Alaska.

With no Ukraine peace deal, Trump again threatens Russia sanctions

“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be, it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said.

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the Pentagon has been quietly blocking Ukraine from using U.S.-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike targets inside Russia, limiting Kyiv’s ability to employ these weapons in its defence against Moscow’s invasion.

As the White House sought to persuade Putin to join peace talks, an approval process put in place at the Pentagon has kept Ukraine from launching strikes deep into Russian territory, the Journal reported.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has final say over the use of the long-range weapons, the Journal said.

Neither Ukraine’s presidential office nor the defence ministry immediately responded to Reuters’ request for a comment outside business hours. The White House and the Pentagon also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

With additional reporting by Reuters, edited by g.g.

A handout photo made available by Chigi Palace Press Office shows NATO Secretary general Mark Rutte (CL), Finland’s President Alexander Stubb (2L), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) attend a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. US President Trump is meeting with European leaders and President Zelensky to discuss the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. EPA/FILIPPO ATTILI /CHIGI PALACE PRESS OFFICE