Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Stubb in Helsinki on July 5, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and European security among the issues discussed. China remains one of Moscow’s most important economic and diplomatic partners.
Stubb also argued that Moscow benefits from keeping Europeans fixated 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 leader said.
His prescription was characteristically restrained: “Stay calm, stay cool, stay collected, stay vigilant. Don’t dramatize, prepare for the worst in order to avoid it.”
That measured tone is familiar from Stubb. In May, after a drone entered Finnish airspace near Helsinki and fighter jets were deployed, he insisted Finland was “not facing any direct military threat.”
In the interview, he similarly played down fears of an imminent Russian assault on NATO, describing Moscow’s attempts to probe the alliance as “more like teasing” than preparation for war. Russia’s troops remain tied down in Ukraine, he said, while NATO’s deterrence makes a direct attack highly unlikely.