Stubb urges Europe not to overreact to Russian threats — Politico Europe
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, speaking in New York, United States, urged European partners not to overreact to Russian hybrid threats. In his view, Russia, as an aggressor state, is trying to intimidate Europe and weaken support for Ukraine, rather than having the interest or capability to move to full-scale military escalation against NATO.
As Politico Europe reports, the Finnish president acknowledged that Europe should prepare for further Russian hybrid and sabotage attacks. At the same time, he stressed that an excessive response to such actions would serve Moscow's goal of destabilizing and intimidating European countries.
Assessment of the threat to NATO
Stubb said that Russia would continue its intimidation. According to him, allies need to remain vigilant, but Finnish intelligence is observing Russian activity without signs of an imminent military threat. He also criticized assessments by some intelligence services that suggest a possible rapid Russian invasion of other countries.
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The Finnish president praised Germany's recent decision to hold Russia responsible for an attempted drone attack in Leipzig. In his view, the response to such actions should be to publicly identify who is responsible and determine the consequences.
Possible peace talks
Stubb cautiously expressed hope regarding a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York. He noted that he does not expect a peace agreement this week, but would consider the emergence of an idea or framework for a Black Sea ceasefire related to grain or energy to be a possible step forward.
The Finnish president also allowed for the possibility of a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami in December, although he acknowledged that the current talks are still far from that. Stubb added that he does not consider himself Europe's sole representative in future negotiations and is ready to help behind the scenes.
