Finland Envoy Reveals Russia's Stance: No End in Sight for Ukraine War

"This is an important topic for all of Europe, including Finland," Lahdevirta said when asked if Ukraine is losing territory to Russia and whether Kyiv still has a chance to stop President Vladimir Putin. "We, of course, would like to see the war end as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it seems that Russia is not willing to stop the war yet," he told ANI.

The ambassador was attending an exclusive interactive session on 'Strengthening India-Finland Collaboration', held in Kolkata on Wednesday.

His comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intensifies diplomatic efforts to secure more international support, with fresh sanctions on Moscow from Western allies.

Zelenskyy said he met a group of US senators, including Lindsey Graham, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse, Michael Bennet, Adam Schiff, and Dick Durbin, to discuss the front-line situation and the urgent need for air defence systems.

"I briefed them on the situation at the front, particularly in Pokrovsk, and on our weapons needs," Zelenskyy posted on X. "We had a substantive discussion on increasing pressure on Russia, including through sanctions legislation in the US Congress."

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1988735240794427681

He also thanked the senators for their bipartisan support and expressed personal gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his "dedicated efforts in pursuit of peace." Zelenskyy also said the discussions covered efforts to return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, noting that US First Lady Melania Trump has been involved in the initiative.

Across Europe, allies moved to increase economic pressure on Moscow. Zelenskyy thanked the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for their "continued humanitarian and energy support," including a newly announced energy assistance package.

The UK also unveiled a maritime services ban targeting Russian LNG (liquefied natural gas) trade, a measure designed to hit Moscow's key revenue source.

Canada followed with new sanctions against Russia's drone programs, hybrid warfare infrastructure, LNG trade, and over 100 shadow fleet vessels.The move aligns with G7 efforts to isolate Russia economically. Zelenskyy called the decision "a strong step and an investment in peace."

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1988683531770318981

But Ukraine continues to face devastating Russian strikes. Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk last week said the country endured "one of the largest direct ballistic attacks on energy facilities" since the start of the war, CNN reported.

Nine Ukrainian regions came under attack overnight on Saturday last week, forcing Ukrainian authorities to impose emergency power cuts across most areas. Grynchuk said hourly outages were later introduced to help citizens plan around power shortages.

At least 15 civilians were killed in Russian attacks over the weekend. In Dnipro, three people died and 12 were injured when a Russian drone struck a nine-storey apartment building, according to Ukrainian officials, as per CNN.

- ANI