Finnish President Alexander Stubb has stated that the security guarantees being prepared for Ukraine by the so-called “coalition of the willing” would require European states to be ready for military confrontation with Russia in the event of renewed aggression from Moscow.
“Security guarantees are essentially a deterrent. That deterrent must be credible, and to be credible it must be strong,” Stubb told The Guardian.
According to the Finnish president, these guarantees would only come into effect after a future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but he stressed that Moscow cannot have a veto over the process.
“Russia has absolutely no right to decide on the sovereign decisions of an independent state… For me, it is not a question of whether Russia agrees or not. Of course they won’t agree, but that’s irrelevant,” he added.
When asked if the guarantees mean readiness for direct military conflict should Russia attack again, Stubb responded firmly:
“That is the idea of security guarantees.”
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that 26 states have pledged to join this “security force,” which would include commitments for land, sea, and air presence to protect Ukraine.
