HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finnish presidential candidate Alexander Stubbe said on Thursday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should become “more European” regardless of whether Donald Trump is re-elected. , said the country remains an important partner for the United States.
In an interview with Reuters, Stubb pledged unconditional support to Ukraine and said he believed it would be impossible to improve relations between Finland and Russian President Vladimir Putin until Russia ended its war with Kiev. Ta.
Mr Stubb, 55, is leading opinion polls ahead of Finland’s presidential election on January 28, when presidential elections are held this year in neighboring Russia and the United States.
The former prime minister, known as “Putin’s whisperer” for his role in maintaining tensions with the Russian leader before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, will retire at the age of 75 after two six-year terms. I am thinking of making him my successor.
Relations between Helsinki and Moscow soured after the invasion and worsened further with Finland’s entry into NATO last April, in a historic break with tradition prompted by the invasion.
Mr Stubb made it clear that he would be pro-Western if elected president, saying: “It is very important that we in Europe work on defending ourselves.”
“In that sense, I very much share the opinion of the current Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, that we need a more European NATO,” he said in an interview.
“I don’t think the Americans will leave us alone, but it’s always good to be prepared for situations where we have to take more responsibility for our own defense.”
Mr. Stubb is unsure whether Mr. Trump will be re-elected, even though a senior European official said this week that Mr. Trump had said during his presidency that “the United States would never support Europe if it came under attack.” did not express any concerns.
“Americans understand why we (Finland) are important, and in that sense whoever is elected president of the United States will understand that,” Stubb said.
Last month, Finland, which is a member of the European Union as well as NATO, signed a defense cooperation agreement with Washington that gives the U.S. military broad access to the Nordic nation, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia.
Finland closed its border with Russia late last year to prevent asylum seekers from entering the country, and has accused Moscow of orchestrating the influx, a charge the Kremlin denies. The closure was scheduled to end on January 15th, but was extended this week until February 11th.
“Politically, we have no ties to the Russian president or the Russian political leadership until we stop the war in Ukraine,” Stubb said.
He made it clear that this does not mean a severance of diplomatic relations, saying, “They are invaders, and in that sense there is no political relationship.”On a practical level, obviously our border guards will continue to cooperate and support our country.” Diplomats will continue to cooperate, but this is not a pillar of Russia’s foreign policy.
Mr. Stubb, a conservative, has been leading in most opinion polls in recent months. The latest poll published by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper on December 26 found him supported by 24% of respondents, compared with 22% for his main opponent, Pekka Haavisto of the liberal Green Party.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, a second round of voting will be held on February 11th.
(Reporting by Ann Kaulanen; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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