Finnish President Alexander Stubb expressed concern on Thursday about comments from NATO officials and member states about the possibility of Russia attacking European countries. "I'm a little bit worried about this rather belligerent talk about Russia going to test Article 5, and that Europe is next in line," he told the Financial Times.
Stubb said such a scenario is "highly unlikely" but that Europe should be more prepared to face threats. He added that Finland is working under the assumption that Russia will still be ruled by an authoritarian leader by the end of the decade and that its army will be "replenished" to the level it was before the war in Ukraine. He said Finland, as a country bordering Russia, is "prepared, come hell or high water," adding that the rest of the European Union has "a window of opportunity for a few years" to boost its defense capabilities.
