Finland’s foreign minister says Ukraine ‘is now holding the cards’ as Russia signals talks

EXCLUSIVE: Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Ukraine has gained caller leverage against Russia, arguing that Moscow’s renewed speech of negotiations comes arsenic Kyiv has strengthened itself militarily, politically and diplomatically.

Valtonen’s comments transportation peculiar value due to the fact that Finland is 1 of NATO’s newest members and present sits connected the alliance’s longest borderline with Russia. Finland joined NATO successful April 2023 aft Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine, ending decades of subject nonalignment and transforming the state into a frontline authorities successful Europe’s information posture.

"Ukraine surely is present holding the cards," Valtonen told Fox News Digital Monday successful an interrogation astatine the United Nations office successful New York. "They person strengthened themselves immensely implicit the people of the past three, 4 months, some militarily and politically, diplomatically. And I deliberation this opens a large model of accidental for really advancing the bid talks."

UKRAINE MAKES FASTEST GAINS IN YEARS AS RUSSIA TALKS STALL, EXPLOITING CRACKS IN KREMLIN COMMAND

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen astatine the United Nations office successful New York, June 8, 2026. (Efrat Lachter/ Fox News Digital)

Her appraisal comes arsenic Reuters reported that Ukraine’s apical subject commandant said Ukrainian forces had recaptured much than 600 quadrate kilometers, oregon astir 230 quadrate miles, of territory truthful acold successful 2026, a displacement aft years of dilatory Russian gains. It besides follows renewed diplomatic activity, including Zelenskyy’s stated willingness to halt warring on existent lines arsenic a way to talks and Putin’s nationalist rejection of a nonstop gathering for now.

Finland shares a astir 820-mile borderline with Russia, making it 1 of the alliance’s astir strategically exposed members.

Valtonen said Moscow has shown small willingness to marque concessions and argued that the work for ending the warfare remains with the Kremlin.

"So far, Russia hasn’t been consenting to marque immoderate concessions, and fundamentally Russia could extremity the warfare contiguous if they wanted to, due to the fact that it was their warfare successful the archetypal place," she said. "So I’m hopeful that this could beryllium the close clip to relaunch those talks."

Peace efforts stay stalled implicit the aforesaid halfway disagreement that has shaped the warfare for years: Ukraine has called for a ceasefire and negotiations without surrendering territory, portion Russia has continued to request power implicit occupied Ukrainian regions. Putin said successful aboriginal June determination was "no point" successful gathering Zelenskyy for present and repeated Moscow’s broader warfare aims.

Asked astir U.S.-led efforts to negociate an extremity to the war, Valtonen praised Washington’s relation but stressed that Ukraine unsocial indispensable determine whether to judge immoderate concessions, including connected territory.

"I deliberation the U.S. engagement successful this full process has been a precise bully one, and it’s important that the U.S. stays engaged, due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the day, it’s astir freedom, it’s the aboriginal of not lone Europe, but besides of planetary peace," she said.

ZELENSKYY SAYS US WILL ONLY GUARANTEE UKRAINE'S SECURITY IF KYIV AGREES TO GIVE UP DONBAS

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hole to depart aft a radical photograph astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Aug. 18, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Valtonen said Europe besides needs to beryllium portion of the process due to the fact that Russia’s warfare straight affects the continent’s information architecture.

She said immoderate superior negotiations would necessitate Russia to judge a afloat ceasefire.

"First and foremost, we would request Russia astatine the array consenting to extremity the war," Valtonen said. "And that would request to hap done a afloat ceasefire, due to the fact that lone that would unfastened the anticipation for existent negotiations."

Valtonen besides credited President Donald Trump with pushing European allies to summation defence spending, saying the unit had moved the continent successful the close absorption aft years of imbalance wrong NATO.

Finland has moved aggressively to summation defence spending. Helsinki plans to rise defence spending to 3.2% of GDP by 2030, up from 2.5% successful 2025, Reuters reported successful April. 

WHY NATO’S DEFENSE SPENDING IMBALANCE LASTED FOR DECADES

Senior borderline defender serviceman Juho Pellinen looks astatine a obstruction marking the bound betwixt Finland and Russia adjacent the Pelkola borderline crossing successful Imatra, Finland, connected Nov. 18, 2022. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio besides praised Finland and Sweden Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, saying the 2 newest NATO members had strengthened the confederation by bringing "their ain defence industry" and "advanced technologies." 

He called them "a large partner" and "an bonzer partner."

Valtonen said Finland’s attack is shaped by its ain past with Moscow.

"Finland evidently has taken the Russian menace highly earnestly due to the fact that we person the longest borderline with them," she said. "We surely worship our presumption arsenic the happiest state successful the world, i.e. democracy, the regularisation of instrumentality and quality rights, which we clasp beloved arsenic values implicit thing that Russia could offer."

She besides pointed to Finland’s acquisition successful World War II, erstwhile the Soviet Union invaded Finland, arsenic a reminder of wherefore deterrence matters.

"The past clip the Soviet Union, i.e. Russia, tried to invade america was during the Second World War," Valtonen said. "Happily, we were capable to fend them off, but of people astatine the monolithic outgo to the society."

"For us, it has been wide that if we put successful our deterrence, past that’s a awesome to Russia — bash not travel here," she added.

On Iran, Valtonen said Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s March comments, reported by The Guardian, that the struggle was not a NATO substance should not beryllium understood arsenic Europe washing its hands of the crisis.

"I don’t deliberation our president meant that this has thing to bash with European countries oregon NATO allies," Valtonen said. "I deliberation what helium astir apt meant much is that NATO evidently is not straight progressive arsenic an organization, which is true."

EX-NATO AMBASSADOR WARNS US AND ALLIES MUST 'STOP THE SNIPING' AND UNITE TO END IRAN CONFLICT

Swedish soldiers enactment successful the subject workout Aurora 23 astatine Berga naval basal extracurricular Stockholm connected April 28, 2023. A Swedish parliamentary committee recommended connected April 26, 2024, that Sweden summation its subject fund by astir $5 cardinal done 2030 to fortify aerial defence and grow conscription aft joining NATO. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency)

Her comments came aft different play escalation successful the Iran war, with Tehran launching missiles astatine Israel and Israel striking subject targets successful occidental and cardinal Iran overnight. The flare-up unfolded arsenic the U.S. and its allies proceed efforts to forestall Iran from becoming a atomic authorities and support unit connected Tehran implicit threats to Israel and determination shipping.

The Strait of Hormuz, a captious planetary vigor choke point, has go a cardinal absorption for Western governments aft Iranian threats and restrictions connected maritime traffic. Reuters reported Monday that the European Union sanctioned Iranian-linked individuals and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy portion implicit threats to shipping successful the strait.

"We arsenic idiosyncratic subordinate states successful Europe person decidedly been helping the U.S. effort," Valtonen said. "We don’t privation to spot Iran arsenic a atomic state. We cognize what benignant of a menace Iran has projected towards the region, particularly toward Israel."

Valtonen added Finland has besides joined efforts led by France and the United Kingdom to support the Strait of Hormuz unfastened erstwhile conditions let for harmless operations successful the area.

"It’s truthful important that specified straits are not weaponized by immoderate state astir the world," Valtonen said.

Asked whether European countries had refused U.S. requests to usage bases during the Iran crisis, Valtonen said Finland has nary U.S. bases to unopen down but argued that astir European allies person supported Washington’s requests.

"Finland has been helping the U.S. done truthful galore ways," she said. "We don’t person immoderate U.S. bases successful Finland, truthful there’s thing we tin unopen down."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Commander of the Finnish Army Lieutenant General Pasi Valimaki addresses Finnish conscript soldiers aft a subject workout astatine Pori Brigade successful Niinisalo, Finland, Dec. 9, 2025. (Anne Kauranen/Reuters)

"But having said this, the immense bulk of European countries person said yes to everything that the U.S. has asked during the past mates of months erstwhile this warfare effort has been ongoing, autarkic of the information that, of course, we are not straight progressive arsenic countries successful the war," she added.

Valtonen said that enactment demonstrated NATO allies’ willingness to assistance Washington adjacent erstwhile the confederation itself is not formally involved.

"I deliberation that truly shows the engagement by NATO allies successful this and our willingness to assistance erstwhile the U.S. truly needs immoderate assistance," she said.