The President of Finland told Trump about the depletion of the Russian economy

Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke about a long telephone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Saturday, May 17, and the subsequent call to Vladimir Zelensky on May 18, Yle reports. The last official announcement of his conversation with these politicians dates back to May 11.

At the Lennart conference, Mary Stubb revealed the details of the conversation with Trump, The Guardian reports. According to the Finnish president, he was trying to prove to the US president that Russia is no longer a great power, especially in terms of the economy.

"Its economy is smaller than that of Italy, and only slightly larger than that of Spain. Three years ago, she wanted to deprive Ukraine of independent sovereignty and territorial integrity. This year it has advanced by less than one percent, its (key) interest rate exceeds 20%, and reserves are depleted," Stubb said.

In his opinion, Trump's views are somewhat close to the XIX century and the era of great powers.

"He needs to be convinced that free trade and common rules are better than you—to—me, I-to-you deals," the Finnish leader said.

"And we have to show that we take defense in Europe seriously, that we are suppliers of security, not its consumers," he added.

The Guardian notes that Stubb is one of the few European politicians to whose opinion Trump listens. The Finnish president in April said that the US president was "running out of patience" with Russia in the framework of negotiations on Ukraine, against which Trump's "tough statements" against Moscow sounded. Stubb urged her to "not joke" with the American leader.

The Finnish president also said that it is necessary to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, since "the only thing" that he understands is "strength."

"I mean, there is a reason why Finland has one of the strongest armies in Europe, and this reason is not in Sweden," he noted.