Finnish president says Ukraine’s security guarantees must be credible and solid

Security guarantees for Ukraine as it withstands a Russian invasion must reflect a genuine readiness of European states to confront Russia militarily in the event of a new attack after a peace agreement, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told The Guardian.

“Security guarantees in essence are a deterrent. That deterrent has to be plausible and in order for it to be plausible it has to be strong,” Stubb said.

He said that Russia will have no veto over the format of Ukraine’s security guarantees.

“Russia has absolutely no say in the sovereign decisions of an independent nation state … So for me it’s not an issue of whether Russia agrees or not. Of course they won’t, but that’s not the point,” Stubb said.

However, the president acknowledged that there is currently little chance of bringing Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

“This war is too big for him to lose. He has made probably the biggest strategic mistake in recent history, certainly since the end of the cold war, and he has failed in all of his strategic aims. It’s a question when he comes to the negotiating table, hopefully sooner rather than later, but right now I’m quite pessimistic,” Stubb said.

Earlier, analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported that the Kremlin is running a coordinated information operation against Finland that seeks to discredit the government and create an image of instability. 

Experts said that similar measures preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.