Finnish President Alexander Stubb offered his assessment of the war this week, saying that economic difficulties and military casualties will not force Moscow to end its invasion. Russia will only stop fighting when its population turns against the war, he argued.
Stubb also pointed to the scale of Russia’s failure. In World War II, the Soviet Union reached Berlin in less than four years, a distance of 1,400 kilometers. In the active war against Ukraine, Russian forces have advanced only 60 kilometers. That is where everything ends, he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and the European Union are launching €343 million in programs for dual-use technology development. The agreements, signed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, involve the European Commission, the EU Investment Office, and the governments of France and Finland.
The funding is expected to attract over €700 million in investment for UAVs, anti-drone systems, aviation, navigation, and communications technologies. That is a significant commitment. The goal here is to expand Ukraine’s defense production capacity and integrate domestic manufacturers into European industrial networks, rather than just purchasing finished equipment.
