Main image: Alexander Stubb will take office as Finland's 13th president on 1 March. Image: Tobias Schwarz / AFP
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb believes that Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO is beyond discussion, as Ukraine must become "European, not Russian."
The Finnish president made this statement at a security conference in Munich.
“There are two things that are non-negotiable. One of them is Ukraine’s membership in the EU, and also Ukraine’s membership in NATO at some point. These are the only decisions for Ukrainians,” he emphasized.
According to Stubb, Ukraine must become "European, not Russian," which would be a great loss for Putin.
"We must in no way open the door to this Russian fantasy of a security order, where spheres of influence can be divided," Stubb stressed.
In his view, in this war, Ukraine is resolving three fundamental issues: independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
“In World War II, Finland preserved its independence. However, we lost the sovereignty to decide which organizations we wanted to be in, and then we lost 10% of our territory, including the areas where my grandparents were born. Let’s just make sure that at the end of this process, Ukraine doesn’t end up in such a difficult position. This is what we are working for,” he called.
It should be noted that after the end of World War II, Finland remained an independent country but had to give up nearly 10% of its territory and pay large reparations to the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Finland remained in the Soviet sphere of influence.
