2008 OSCE Former Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev)
“NATO will emerge stronger and may even include Ukraine after Donald Trump’s four-year presidency,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, News.Az reports.
“I hope that we will see an even stronger NATO then – NATO 3.0. But it will definitely be a NATO with American membership – I don’t doubt that for a second,” Stubb said. The Finnish president expressed the opinion that “in no other alliance can the United States ensure its security and advance its interests in Europe so reliably and so cheaply.” “Therefore, I am optimistic and believe that our alliance will be even stronger in four years and, perhaps, then a member. Ukraine will become one,” Stubb argued.
The president believes that under Trump, the pressure on NATO members to force them to increase military spending will constantly increase. According to Stubb, it’s not the percentage that matters. He recalled that Finland spends 2.5% of GDP on defense. “We have upgraded our Air Force and Navy, and now we are dealing with the ground forces,” the president said.