Finland’s newly elected president, Alexander Stubb of the center-right National Coalition Party, told his country on Monday to “remain calm and focus” on strengthening its NATO membership.
Stubb’s statement, made during his first press conference after his presidential win last Sunday, came amid European leaders’ panic that the U.S., under a Trump presidency, might adopt a decidedly more quid pro quo approach to the military alliance.
Last week, former president Donald Trump, who looks set to become the Republican candidate in November’s U.S. presidential election, said he would not feel obligated to come to NATO members’ aid in case of a Russian attack should those countries be “delinquent” in investing the agreed upon 2% of their GDP on defense.
Finland joined NATO in April last year as it felt threatened by the Russo-Ukrainian war raging to its East.
Putting Trump’s blunt language in context for Finnish audiences, Stubb mentioned that U.S. election campaigns are “very different from Finnish elections, and the rhetoric used is quite a lot stronger.”
On the other hand, Stubb also expressed sympathy for Trump’s criticism of NATO member states not holding up their end of the bargain. “I think at this stage it is best to remain calm and focus on building our NATO membership,” he added, as he mentioned that Finland exceeds the 2% target.
“The whole European security order has been upended because of Russian aggression and its attack on Ukraine,” he said. “We need to make sure that we in Europe take care of our own part in NATO. Finland is a country that will continue to do that. We are a security provider, not a security consumer.”
As such, Stubb said, Finland should play a decisive role in the military alliance. “We want to be at the core of decision-making, sit around the table where decisions are made,” he said.
As previously reported by The European Conservative, while Finland has an issue retaining them, it still boasts an active reserve force of 900,000 military-trained civilians.
Stubb, who is taking office on March 1st, is a strong supporter of Ukraine and has taken a tough stance towards Russia, with which Finland shares a 1,340 km border.
“Before Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine it will be very difficult to have a relationship with Russia,” said Stubb, in what was a reiteration of Finland’s new approach to its neighbor, as it departs from a former, long-held, policy of cooperation and trade.
In an interview with Reuters last month, Stubb expressed his support for deeper NATO cooperation, such as allowing the transport of nuclear weapons across Finnish soil and placing some permanent NATO troops in Finland. He however does not support storing nuclear weapons in his country.
In Moscow, Helsinki’s message has been received loud and clear.
On Monday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Finland was “currently on the [Russian] list of unfriendly countries,” since it “fully sides with the sanctions [against Russia] and statements by the president-elect are of an extremely unfriendly nature.”
After taking office as his country’s president, his first trip abroad will very likely be to Sweden, said Stubb, as he seeks to calm the Swedes who are growing impatient with Hungary which has put on hold its approval of their bid for NATO membership.
“Essentially, Sweden is in NATO already,” Stubb stated with confidence.
