Finnish President Says Europe Must Be Prepared to Confront Russia

2025-09-23 08:19:38

(MENAFN) Finnish President Alexander Stubb has warned that Western European nations must be prepared to engage Russia militarily if they offer security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a potential resolution to the ongoing conflict. In an interview with media on Saturday, Stubb emphasized that any Western commitment to Ukraine should be rooted in a clear understanding that “security guarantees in essence are a deterrent.”

When asked whether these guarantees would imply a readiness to confront Russia directly, Stubb responded, “That is the idea of security guarantees by definition,” further stressing that without credible military backing, such assurances would be futile.

The Finnish president also made it clear that Russia should not be allowed to influence the issue. “So for me it’s not an issue [whether] Russia will agree [to guarantees being given to Ukraine] or not. Of course they won’t, but that’s not the point,” he said.

The debate over security guarantees for Ukraine has been intensifying in recent months. Earlier in September, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries had agreed to create a "reassurance force" of land, sea, and air troops, which would be deployed to Ukraine only after a peace agreement or ceasefire is reached. Macron clarified that the force would not be intended for military conflict with Russia.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has firmly ruled out sending American ground troops to Ukraine.

While Moscow has expressed no fundamental opposition to Western security guarantees for Kyiv, it has insisted that such guarantees must take Russian interests into account and should not be aimed at containing Russia. Russian officials have repeatedly warned against any NATO troop deployments to Ukraine, claiming that NATO’s expansion near Russia’s borders was a primary driver of the conflict. Moscow has also cautioned that any foreign troops stationed in Ukraine without authorization would be treated as “legitimate targets.”

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