ROME/ISTANBUL

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke jointly with US President Donald Trump in a Sunday phone call to discuss Washington’s peace proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Stubb told reporters.

Stubb, speaking to Bloomberg after the G20 summit in South Africa, said advances in peace efforts “need patience,” adding that European countries were not told of Trump’s proposal before it was publicly unveiled.

“The key right now would be to get a ceasefire,” he said, adding that discussions of the plan are underway.

Backing Ukraine remains a key US interest, he said, and described the call with Trump as “quite spontaneous,” adding that he is “carefully optimistic but realistic."

Meloni also said that working on the US proposal would be meaningful, emphasizing that Europe must play a role and be able to contribute to ideas that can help move the process forward.

Speaking to Italian journalists after attending the same Johannesburg summit, Meloni said holding the summit in South Africa carried symbolic weight, noting that “there is no future without Africa.”

‘Very delicate stage’ in talks

Asked whether Europe should put forward its own alternative to the US plan, Meloni said the goal was not to draft a counter-proposal.

“It makes more sense to work on the existing proposal and focus on the truly crucial issues,” she said.

Reflecting on her earlier joint call with Trump – who did not attend the G20 summit – she said the discussions were at “a very delicate stage” and represented a “test of maturity” for Europe by demonstrating it can make a real difference and offer proposals that advance the process, adding that all sides agree on the need to do this.

She said the plan still has issues that need discussion, including territory, reconstruction funding, and the Ukrainian military, but also contains several positive elements, particularly on security guarantees.

Despite not being involved in drafting the proposal, she stressed that Europe must be part of the process, as core aspects — including security guarantees, reconstruction, and Ukraine’s EU path — rely on European participation.

Meloni added that Russia must also demonstrate commitment to the process by refraining from attacks on civilian infrastructure.

She said she does not believe President Vladimir Putin currently intends to end the war, and argued that the best way to show this is by putting forward a serious proposal and seeing who supports it.

Meloni highlights Türkiye’s role and President Erdogan’s contribution to the process

Asked about her talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ankara’s contribution to Ukraine peace efforts, Meloni said, “Türkiye's role has been constructive from the beginning, and I think it can also be strategic,” adding that Erdogan’s involvement in the talks is “a good development.”

She added that Erdogan intends to speak with Putin and is also expected to hold talks with Trump.