Finnish presidential election favorite and former prime minister Alexander Stubb said in an interview with Reuters that he wants a more European NATO. He also stressed that until the end of the war in Ukraine the restoration of political relations with Russia is out of the question.
The 55-year-old Stubb wants to succeed Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, who has served two consecutive six-year terms. Like Stubbki, Niinistö previously belonged to the Finnish Coalition Party.
Stubb said he wants to continue Niinistö’s policy, but according to him it is important that Europe itself takes care of protecting itself, Euractiv reports.
“In this sense I very much agree with the current Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, who said that we need a more European NATO,” Stubb said.
“I think the Americans will not leave us alone, but it is always useful to be prepared for a situation where we have to take more responsibility to protect ourselves,” added the Finnish presidential favorite.
Stubb also said that he was not worried about the possible electoral victory of former US President Donald Trump in the US presidential elections held in November this year.
“The American people understand that we matter, and whoever is elected president of the United States will understand that,” he said.
Finland’s relations with Russia deteriorated dramatically after the Kremlin regime’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined NATO in April 2023.
Stubb stressed that under his leadership Helsinki does not intend to restore relations with Russia as long as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues.
“Politically there is no relationship with the Russian president or the Russian political leadership as long as they continue the war in Ukraine,” the former Finnish prime minister said.
At the same time, this does not mean that Finland will break diplomatic relations with Russia.
“They are the aggressor, so there is no political relationship. On a pragmatic level, of course, our border guards will continue to cooperate, and our diplomats will continue to cooperate, but there is no Russian pillar in our foreign policy,” he explained Stubb.
Finland was forced to close its border with Russia when illegal immigrants from the Middle East began arriving in the country from the Russian side. According to the Finnish authorities, the European Commission and independent analysts, this is a targeted and organized action by Russia to send immigrants to the border, which can be interpreted as an attempt to destabilize Finland. The Russian-Finnish border will remain closed until at least February 11.
According to polls, Stubb’s victory in the second round of the Finnish presidential elections is imminent. In the first round, according to the latest Verian poll commissioned by the Helsinkiin Sanomat newspaper, 24% of Finns support Stubb, while 22% of voters support his closest rival, former Foreign Minister, Green MP Pekka Haavisto. On the other hand, Stubb already has a clear advantage in the second round and would be supported by at least 55% of Finns, while Haavisto remains supported by 43%.
The Finnish presidential elections will be held on January 28, while the second round will take place on February 11, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes cast in the first round.
2024-01-12 18:05:00
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