“The United States will not withdraw from Europe,” the Finnish president said. “If they want to project their power into regions like the Middle East, Asia, Africa, they need to have a solid foundation here.”
Europe, he continued, is doing the right thing militarily by ramping up spending on defense, but often undermines deterrence through panicked public messaging.
Finland’s president also pushed back against the idea that Europe would be defenseless without Washington. Pointing to Finland’s long-standing military posture against Russia, Stubb argued: “If we can defend ourselves, NATO can do it too.”
Stubb opened the door to direct European engagement with Moscow, saying “it’s time to start talking to Russia” and confirming discussions are underway among European leaders over who should eventually make contact with the Kremlin.
That puts him closer to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom backed a renewed dialogue with Russia in January.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Monday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could represent European countries in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, describing him as a “high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies” who “would be sitting on both sides of the table.”