AP began pursuing an interview with Finnish President Alexander Stubb as his access to — and potential influence over — Donald Trump became increasingly clear. European security correspondent Emma Burrows proposed interviewing Stubb during a Finnish civil defense training exercise, an idea that won over the president’s office.
With just 20 minutes, Burrows zeroed in on the main news: bleak odds for a winter cease-fire and how a corruption scandal is weakening European support for Ukraine, while still managing to steer the conversation with humor toward Stubb’s relationship with Trump. Afterward, the all-format team quickly assembled the story, visuals and digital rollout. Video journalist Kostya Manenkov worked overnight to edit the full multi-camera interview for a rare live AP Direct playout.
The story moved Sunday morning, but the main cease-fire news led much of the reporting on Ukraine that day, with numerous European and U.S. outlets picking up the story.
Submission Links
https://apnews.com/article/stubb-finland-trump-ukraine-putin-russia-europe-8bdbd76ed7c04b5ff6af8abafc7b837c https://apnews.com/video/takeaways-from-the-aps-interview-with-finlands-president-015b47443faa48018374f02bf527a471 https://apnews.com/video/finlands-president-tells-the-ap-that-trump-is-a-pretty-good-golfer-bca69753fb514d6b9e930b9d8a66f67bRelated articles
