‘It’s extra shouting’: Finland’s president says he’s not precisely a ‘Trump whisperer’

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Alexander Stubb has been referred to as Europe’s "Trump whisperer" in some circles, however in keeping with the Finnish president, that’s not fairly correct.

"President Trump has very a lot his personal thoughts. If I get one concept out of 10, I am very completely satisfied, however fairly not often is it a whispering — it is extra shouting that occurs, and that’s completely nice," Stubb stated.

The primary-hand perception into what Stubb calls a working relationship with the U.S. president was simply considered one of many revelations he shared in an interview with CBC Information chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

Stubb was in Ottawa this week for his first official bilateral conferences with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"It's clear that you just by no means agree on the whole lot. So I simply suppose it is essential in diplomacy it's important to interact, even when generally it feels fairly uncomfortable,” Stubb stated when requested about navigating conversations with Trump.

And whereas he could not suppose the whisperer moniker is correct, the Finnish president clearly seems to have Trump’s ear.

"We have been mates for a very long time," Trump remarked throughout Stubb’s go to to the White Home in October 2025.

<img loading="lazy" alt="Two people sit on chairs and talk in a large room." srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/10e309e1-6478-48a1-a240-25d2f4415a70,1776375894111/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C7008%2C3944%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/10e309e1-6478-48a1-a240-25d2f4415a70,1776375894111/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C7008%2C3944%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/10e309e1-6478-48a1-a240-25d2f4415a70,1776375894111/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C7008%2C3944%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/10e309e1-6478-48a1-a240-25d2f4415a70,1776375894111/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C7008%2C3944%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.7768762677484786" data-cy="image-img"/> Finland's President Alexander Stubb sits down with CBC Information chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton throughout an interview in Ottawa. Stubb was in Ottawa this week for his first official bilateral conferences with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. (Raphael Tremblay/CBC) The pair have golfed collectively at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and in keeping with Stubb, they message one another fairly ceaselessly.

Among the many subjects the pair have mentioned is Russia’s battle in Ukraine, Stubb stated.

‘We have to flip the tide’ Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia — the longest amongst NATO and EU members — joined the NATO alliance in 2023, following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Stubb has turn into an influential voice of assist for Ukraine’s battle effort.

Now, with the response to that full-scale invasion properly into its fourth 12 months, he believes Ukraine is in a stronger place than at any level since 2022. A big a part of Ukraine’s benefit, as Stubb describes it, is the profitable emergence of its drone warfare capabilities.

Stubb stated Russian troopers are dying at a price 5 instances increased than Kyiv’s, largely as a result of Ukraine’s steadily enhancing drone kill charges. Whereas the five-to-one-ratio could also be barely inflated, the information exhibits Russian casualties are nonetheless outpacing Ukraine's.

A January report printed by the Washington-based Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research discovered that the ratio of Ukrainian fight casualties and fatalities to Russia’s was roughly 1:2.5 or 1:2.

And for the primary time since 2023, in February Ukraine gained extra territory than it misplaced, in keeping with the Finland-based Black Chicken Group evaluation crew.

"We have to flip the tide. This isn't anymore about giving alimony to Ukraine. We now have to consider it the opposite approach round. Can we afford to maintain Ukraine exterior [NATO] within the sense that they now have the best army know-how,” stated Stubb.

<img loading="lazy" alt="A city on fire." srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/413c7e54-4609-40bb-89d7-434dbfb599e6,1776448485035/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6255%2C4170%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/413c7e54-4609-40bb-89d7-434dbfb599e6,1776448485035/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6255%2C4170%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/413c7e54-4609-40bb-89d7-434dbfb599e6,1776448485035/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6255%2C4170%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/413c7e54-4609-40bb-89d7-434dbfb599e6,1776448485035/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C6255%2C4170%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.5" data-cy="image-img"/> Smoke rises after a Russian air strike on Kyiv in June 2025. Russia has been focusing on Ukrainian cities with Iranian-made Shahed drones, and extra just lately their very own model, because the full-scale invasion started in 2022, making the Ukrainians specialists in counter-drone measures. (Evgeniy Maloletka/The Related Press) He pointed to Ukraine’s latest choice to deploy 228 specialists to help in preventing in opposition to Iran's Shahed drones in a number of Center Jap international locations.

Russia has been launching Iranian-made Shaheds, and extra just lately their very own model of the fixed-winged drones, at Ukrainian cities because the full-scale invasion started — generally a whole bunch in a single night time.

"They're exhibiting that within the Gulf area [they're] defending the Gulf states from Iran, and I hope the People perceive and see this," stated Stubb.

<img loading="lazy" alt="Two men on a golf course smile for the camera." srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/65645b4a-835a-4225-8766-7e128fa75c0c,1776376057964/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C877%2C1170%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/65645b4a-835a-4225-8766-7e128fa75c0c,1776376057964/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C877%2C1170%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/65645b4a-835a-4225-8766-7e128fa75c0c,1776376057964/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C877%2C1170%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/65645b4a-835a-4225-8766-7e128fa75c0c,1776376057964/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C877%2C1170%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:0.7495726495726496" data-cy="image-img"/> U.S. President Donald Trump golfs with Finland's President Alexander Stubb at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. (truthsocial.com/RealDonaldTrump) It seems the U.S. is the truth is taking discover.

After initially rejecting provides of Ukrainian counter-drone assist following its assault on Iran in February, the Trump administration has since reversed course, acknowledging Iran’s Shahed drones pose a big problem to U.S. air defences, and accepting Ukraine’s support.

However that doesn’t imply the U.S. sees a future the place Ukraine is in NATO.

In 2025, Trump expressed agency opposition to Ukraine’s want to hitch NATO and pressured Kyiv to desert membership hopes as a part of a ceasefire with Russia. That ceasefire by no means got here to fruition.