Ukraine's security guarantees will require readiness to fight Russia, Finland's Stubb says
European countries that provide post-war security guarantees to Ukraine will be ready to fight Russia if it renews fighting, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the Guardian in an interview published Sept. 20.
When asked if the guarantors of any post-war assurances would be ready to military engage with Russia, Stubb replied, "That is the idea of security guarantees by definition."
"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," he added.
Ukraine and its allies have been working to establish post-war security guarantees, including a peacekeeping force to maintain a future ceasefire or peace deal. The "coalition of the willing," led by France and the U.K., has held several meetings in which assurances are being developed.
Stubb noted Russia will have no say over the security guarantees Ukraine and its allies are developing despite the Kremlin's vocal opposition.
"Russia has absolutely no say in the sovereign decisions of an independent nation state … So for me it’s not an issue will Russia agree or not. Of course, they won’t, but that’s not the point," Stubb said.
Moscow is not open to foreign peacekeeping troops securing a ceasefire or peace deal in Ukraine, state media reported on Sept. 4, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
"Russia does not intend to discuss foreign intervention in Ukraine, which is fundamentally unacceptable and undermines all security, in any form or format," she claimed.
Stubb noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely not ready to engage in diplomacy despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's willingness to meet.
"His 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," he said.
Moscow has rejected the deployment of any NATO-linked peacekeepers, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov describing such a move as a "foreign military intervention."
The Kremlin has repeatedly issued maximalist demands to Ukraine and has refused to engage in leader-level talks as Ukraine and its allies work towards ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
