Finnish President Hails ‘New NATO’, Calls For ‘Burden Sharing’ on Ukraine
Finnish President Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated on Thursday that Ukraine “is doing well on the military front” and that Europe needs to find the right balance to help Kyiv “where perhaps the Americans are leaving a few gaps.”
His comments came amid latest reports about the US was halting some weapons shipments to the war-torn country that tries to fend off escalating attacks from Russia, which has deployed 50,000 troops near the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region.
US officials on Wednesday downplayed weapons freeze as an isolated ‘situation’, while President Donald Trump said earlier that he was watching the Russian buildup closely amid fears of a new offensive.
Speaking at an Atlantic Council event Thursday morning on “Europe’s security after the NATO Summit,” Stubb reacted to the White House’s move to halt some weapons deliveries to Kyiv, saying that “Europeans have to understand that they have to take more of the burden”.
“If we look at financial aid, Europeans have given more than the US somewhere north of $130 billion, whereas the US is somewhere north of $120 billion. But the US has provided 70 percent of its aid in military. Now what we’re starting to see is a shift more towards financial aid, because the Ukrainians are very capable with their military,” he explained.
Stubb went on to add that Ukraine, like Russia, currently has the most modern military in the world with combat experience, and the country has improved its drone production significantly: from zero drone when the war began, to producing 1.5 million last year – and 4 million this year.
“And we know what drones can do. We saw them take out a lot of the strategic bomber capacity at long-range” he said.
As for the battlefield, Stubb said Ukraine was doing well, as Russia failed to advance significantly. He went on to reveal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting in The Hague last week, showed US President Donald Trump a map which indicates that Russia had advanced only 0.25 percent of territory this year.
“This is, of course, at a hideous, colossal loss, at about 170 Russian soldiers per kilometer. So, they’re not making big moves and we just need to continue and grind it out and support Ukraine the best we can,” he said.
Asked about diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and durable peace in Ukraine, Stubb outlined a two-phase approach: a ceasefire followed by peace negotiations, emphasizing the need for continued military support to increase the cost of the war for Russia.
“If and when we want Ukraine to win this war – because it’s not only Ukraine’s war. This is a war of the West as well – we need to do two things,” he said, highlighting arming Ukraine and increasing the pressure on Russia through more sanctions. “Europe has done that. The US in the process of doing it,” he said of sanctions.
Stubb also spoke about last week’s NATO summit saying that it “will go down in history as the birth of new NATO.”
The Alliance went “back to its roots” as a “deterrent to a bigger imperial power in Europe,” and it also began “a bit of a shift” in its balance toward Europe, he noted.
“We’re probably witnessing the birth of a more European NATO,” he said, noting that such a shift fulfills the demands of several consecutive US administrations.
When pressed about concerns over the US abandoning NATO, Stubb referred to his conversations with Trump and his administration. “Not once did I hear anyone saying that the US is withdrawing from NATO,” he emphasized.
But there is significant “burden shifting” underway, he said, which is “a good thing for Europe and for the Alliance right now.”
Source: Alex Raufoglu