Finnish President Alexander Stubb said this in an interview with Politico, Ukrinform reports.
Asked whether Russia could use nuclear weapons, Stubb dismissed the possibility, saying Beijing was helping to “rein in” the escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“This summer, China’s foreign minister came to visit me, and I raised this issue. He replied, ‘We will never allow this to happen.’ And I think that is quite an effective deterrent,” Stubb said.
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On July 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Stubb in Helsinki. Among other issues, they discussed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and European security. China remains one of Moscow’s most important economic and diplomatic partners.
Stubb also stressed that Moscow benefits when Europeans focus on the prospect of nuclear escalation or a direct attack on NATO.
“Russia wants us Europeans to sit here and discuss: Will Russia escalate? Will Russia use nuclear weapons? Will Russia attack NATO and Europe?” the Finnish president said.
His advice on the matter was characteristically restrained: “Stay calm, keep your cool, remain composed, stay vigilant. Don’t dramatize it. Prepare for the worst so that we can avoid it.”
In the interview, Stubb also played down concerns about an imminent Russian attack on NATO, saying Moscow was more likely to be “provoking” the alliance to test its response than preparing for war. According to Stubb, Russian troops remain in Ukraine, while NATO’s deterrence makes a direct attack on the alliance highly unlikely.
At the same time, the Finnish president said he believed Europe was approaching the point when it would be useful to resume direct political dialogue with Moscow.
“I am convinced that we are approaching the day when it would be useful for Europeans to establish more direct contact with Russia,” he said. “Especially because we need to avoid misunderstandings.”
Europe “has not reached that point yet,” Stubb stressed, noting that supporting Ukraine remains the immediate priority.
“You can’t just press the ‘mute’ button. You have to start a discussion,” he added.
As reported, amid threats from Russia, NATO is working on plans to expand nuclear deterrence in Europe, with one of the options under consideration being the deployment of additional U.S. nuclear warheads.
