Finnish President urges NATO countries to prepare for conflict with Russia, consider conscription
‘Less talk, more action’ is the message from Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as he advocated for NATO countries to prepare their armies for a potential conflict, the Financial Times reported.
Recent public warnings about Russian aggression outside Ukraine divert the attention of the EU countries from the main task: providing immediate assistance to Kyiv and training Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Stubb said.
He also doubts possible Russian attack on a NATO member country until 2030.
"I'm a bit worried about this rather belligerent talk that Russia is going to test Article 5 (NATO's collective defense provision - ed.) and that Europe will be next,” he said.
“I think we should be ready for that, but I think it is far-fetched.”
Stubb called on all European states to "become more Finnish" at the same time, the publication wrote.
"In other words, more prepared. You have to prepare for the worst in order to avoid it," the President of Finland emphasized.
Supporting Kyiv in the coming months is paramount, Stubb said, as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is "feeling very confident" and looking to use a "window of opportunity" to breach Ukraine's frontline defense.
Europe has a "window of opportunity for a few years" to rethink its approach and abandon the "La La Land" post-Cold War era, when many countries considered war to be something unreal, Stubb said.
"It is not only about NATO’s and the EU’s frontline states preparation, but for everyone to stay alert. The good news is that we are ready no matter what.”
Stubb mentioned conscription, which is mandatory in Finland, among the measures that other European countries should consider.
A possible conflict between Russia and NATO
Russia may attempt to attack Europe by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, when the United States will be “leaderless,” and may only come to the aid of European states after some delay, German publication Bild, citing its own intelligence sources, reported.
The civilian population in the West should prepare for a “total war” with Russia, NATO’s Military Committee chair, Admiral Rob Bauer, said.
Europe is once again “facing a military threat that has not been seen in 30 years,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, as he warned of the possibility of a Russian attack within five to eight years.
Possibility that Russia could start a war against NATO next year is extremely low, Lithuania’s Commander-in-Chief, Valdemaras Rupšys, said at the same time.
Russia does not want a direct military conflict with the United States and NATO and will continue asymmetric activities which, according to its estimates, will not cross the threshold of a military conflict on a global scale, American intelligence reported in March.
The European Union, NATO, and Spain are not preparing for war, despite the growing threat from Russia, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on March 26.
The Alliance is ready for a potential conflict with Russia, NATO's military committee head, Rob Bauer, commented at the same time.
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