Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged NATO to prepare for a direct conflict with Russia, despite his confidence in the low probability of such a confrontation occurring. Stubb, in an interview with the British newspaper "Financial Times," called on NATO leaders to ready their armies for potential engagement with Russia, rather than just making hostile statements against it. He noted that the recent warnings about the Russian threat divert European countries' attention from assisting Kyiv and training its soldiers.
However, Stubb does not believe that "Moscow will attack a NATO country before 2030." He added, "What concerns me is that Russia intends to test Article 5 of the NATO collective defense treaty, and Europe will be a new target for Russia. I think we need to prepare for that, despite my belief in its low likelihood... we must be ready for the worst."
He indicated that among the measures European countries should consider is mandatory conscription. Stubb also called on the alliance to support Ukraine "at any cost," mentioning that his country does not feel any concern about Russian plans along the Finnish border. Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023.
