PoliticsMay 25, 2026 3:53 am • 2 min readFinnish President Alexander Stubb on March 27, 2025 in Paris, France. (Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)Finnish President Alexander Stubb could represent Europe in Ukraine peace talks if asked to do so, he told broadcaster Yle on May 24."If you ask, it's probably something that can't be answered negatively," Stubb said in an interview.There has been speculation that Europe could come to the negotiating table between Ukraine and Russia as U.S.-brokered talks stall.Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiha told Politico in an interview published May 11 that Ukraine has asked Europe to help with the process of an airport ceasefire."We probably need a new role of Europe in our peace efforts," Sybiha said on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers summit in Brussels.Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 9 said that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could serve as a European mediator in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.German officials reportedly dismissed the suggestion that Schroeder could represent Europe in peace talks. The former chancellor is widely considered to have warm ties with Putin and Russian officials.Putin's proposal is not credible because Russia has not changed its conditions for ending the war, an unnamed German official told Reuters.In his May 24 interview, Stubb noted that peace talks could only begin once Russia committed to a ceasefire with Ukraine.Russia continues to strike Ukrainian cities in drone and missile attacks.President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 24 that four people were killed and nearly 100 others were injured across the country as a result of an overnight mass attack.