Donald Trump is the only one who can force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine, Finland's president has told the BBC.

Alexander Stubb also said that Finland would never recognise occupied Crimea as part of Russia, and that he wanted to ensure Ukraine became an EU and hopefully NATO member once the war was over.

BBC Radio 4's Today programme spoke to President Stubb ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday, where he told the US president, I think we can end this war with your help.

Meanwhile, Trump said that Putin has agreed to meet face-to-face with him in Hungary.

The US leader said on Friday that Putin wants to get it ended. I think that President Zelensky wants to get it ended. Now we have to get it done.

Zelensky stated in the White House that Ukraine was ready to talk in any format and wanted peace but argued that Putin needed to be pressured into ending the war.

In August, Trump and Putin met in Alaska for a summit that did not yield breakthroughs. Stubb recalled a conversation where Trump asked if he could trust Putin, to which Stubb replied no, emphasizing that pressure must be applied to bring Russia to negotiations.

Stubb was optimistic about Trump's potential for advancing peace negotiations, citing that there was more progress in the past eight months than in the previous three years.

Russia's economy is suffering significantly, Stubb reported, indicating that economic threats should be leveraged to bring Russia to the table. He mentioned potential sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and gas and proposed that frozen Russian assets be used as a loan for Ukraine.

Stubb expressed the hope for a two-phase peace process: a ceasefire followed by extended negotiations, stating, In foreign policy, you always have to deal with the world as it is, not what you wish it to be, but let's do peace.

Overall, expectations for peace are being fueled by ongoing discussions, with Stubb stressing the need for pragmatic solutions moving forward.