It was very important to stand at NATO's door in the early phase of the war, said the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. He also stated that his country must be prepared “for absolutely anything from Russia.”
In an interview for “Ilta-Sanomat” published on Saturday, the president Finland Alexander Stubb assessed that his country would “not necessarily” gain support for membership in NATOif he applied for it now. “We joined at the last minute. I am grateful to the allies for that. It is definitely easier to breathe now that we are already in NATO,” he said.
He admitted that “his assessment results not only from the election of Donald Trump as US president, but also from the war situation in Ukraine and general war fatigue.” “Also, if at this stage we look at Germany, for example, it would be difficult to argue for Finland to join NATO. Therefore, it was very important to stand at NATO's door in the early phase of the war,” he emphasized.
Finland in NATO
The then president Sauli Niinisto took steps for the country's accession to NATO in connection with Russia's attack on Ukraine and the Kremlin's rhetoric about rebuilding its spheres of influence. Ultimately, Finland was admitted to the Alliance on April 4, 2023, i.e. less than a year after submitting its application, which is the fastest accession process in history. This ended the decades-long era of Finnish neutrality.
The Finnish flag was raised on the flagpole in front of the NATO headquarters (April 4, 2023)PAP/EPA/JOHANNA GERON / POOL
Stubb also said in the interview that Finland, despite being in the most powerful military alliance, must be prepared “for absolutely anything from Russia.”
“I do not see the end of Russian imperialism, under which the territory is expanded by illegal means,” he said, noting that Russia continues to equip itself and in a few years it will rebuild its potential to the level it had at the beginning of the war Ukraine. He stressed that “you also have to be able to endure this kind of uncertainty.”
“The most important allies of the Americans are in Europe”
According to the Finnish president, with the new Trump era there will probably be pressure to increase defense spending above 2%. GDP (Finland's expenditure is close to 2.5%).
NATO expansion in EuropePAP – Maciej Zieliński
“On the other hand, due to the current situation in the world – as he admitted – talking about World War III or nuclear war is not very reasonable.” “There is no point in panicking,” he added.
Stubb doesn't believe that though USA under Trump's leadership, they will make a radical turn in terms of their participation in NATO or withdrawal from Europe. “The most important allies of the Americans are in Europe,” he said, noting that “responsibility for security will change.”
Main photo source: Johanna Geron/EPA/PAP