A European leader says security guarantees for Ukraine must involve availability to fight against Russia
War in Ukraine, photo: Filippo Carlot / Panthermedia / Profimedia
Finland's president Alexander Stubb said that security guarantees for Ukraine, which the will coalition still discusses, would oblige the European countries to fight against Russia if Moscow launched new military actions against Ukraine in the future.
“Security guarantees are, essentially, a deterrent factor. This discouragement factor must be plausible and, in order to be plausible, it must be strong,” Stubb for The Guardian, in an interview with Helsinki before traveling to New York for the UN General Assembly.
“Russia has absolutely no word to say”
The Finnish leader said that security guarantees will only be in force after a possible agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but insisted that Moscow will not have a veto on the format of these guarantees.
“Russia has absolutely no say in the sovereign decisions of an independent national state … so it is not a problem for me whether Russia will agree or not. Of course they will not be (agree, no), but that's not the idea,” he added.
Following the Paris discussion last month, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that 26 nations have committed to be part of a “reinsurance force” in Ukraine and that some of them have committed “to the ground, the sea or in the air.”
However, the big question that many ask in Kiev is whether the agreements will come with concrete commitments.
Stubb's answer
When asked if the guarantees would mean that European countries are prepared to get involved militarily against Russia in the event of a future aggression on Ukraine, the Finnish president said: “This is the idea of security guarantees by definition.”
It is far from clear if there is a political will for such commitment in most European capitals, where promises to a post -war Ukraine have usually been formulated as “reinsurance” than as firm commitments.
So far, in most Western countries, the policy has been supporting Ukraine, but to minimize the risk of a direct conflict with Russia. On the other hand, Stubb argues that guarantees would be meaningless if they are not supported.
“Security guarantees are, in essence, a discouragement factor, and this discouragement factor must be plausible and, to be plausible, it must be strong. And that means strategic communication, so we do not make security guarantees, but we do real security guarantees, and Russia knows that,” Finland explained.
