Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he did not believe “Russia would risk an attack on a NATO country,” and told German newspaper Bild that it was “illogical” to test the alliance’s resolve.
Western officials have warned of the growing risk of Russian hybrid operations, including cyberattacks, against European countries, which could lead to direct confrontation with NATO. German officials said they estimate that Russia will be in a position to attack a NATO country by 2029.
“If anyone has a crystal ball like that – that’s great. I simply don’t see any evidence or facts to support it,” he told Bild newspaper in an interview published on Saturday, adding that he did not believe Russia “would ever want to attack NATO, the most powerful military alliance in the world.”
Stubb, whose country joined NATO in 2023 and abandoned its previous policy of neutrality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous year, said the alliance must be prepared for any scenario, but he did not believe Moscow was “in a position to go to war with NATO.”
He said that NATO’s strength in the field of conventional weapons, missiles and nuclear weapons is too strong to be attacked, adding that he has intelligence information to support his assessment.
