Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that security guarantees for Ukraine mean European states must be ready for military confrontation with Russia if Moscow attacks Ukraine again after a peace agreement. He believes that “Russia has absolutely no say” over the format of these guarantees.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that security guarantees for Ukraine mean European states must be ready for military confrontation with Russia if Moscow attacks Ukraine again after a peace agreement. He believes that “Russia has absolutely no say” over the format of these guarantees.

Source: Stubb in an interview with The Guardian ahead of his trip to New York for the UN General Assembly

Quote: “Security guarantees in essence are a deterrent. That deterrent has to be plausible and in order for it to be plausible it has to be strong.”

Details: The president said the guarantees would only come into effect after a future agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but underlined that Russia would not have a veto over their format.

Quote: “Russia has absolutely no say in the sovereign decisions of an independent nation state … So for me it’s not an issue [of] will Russia agree or not. Of course they won’t, but that’s not the point.”

Details: Stubb acknowledged that there is currently little chance of engaging Russian ruler Vladimir Putin in negotiations.

Quote: “This war is too big for him to lose. He has made probably the biggest strategic mistake in recent history, certainly since the end of the Cold War, and he has failed in all of his strategic aims. It’s a question when he comes to the negotiating table, hopefully sooner rather than later, but right now I’m quite pessimistic.”

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