Stubb announces formation of NATO 3.0: Details
Alexander Stubb, President of Finland (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In the current geopolitical climate, NATO is returning to its original mission, for which the alliance was initially created: deterring threats from the East, according to Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a press conference following his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"I firmly believe that we are now witnessing the creation of NATO 3.0. We are back to the original role of NATO as a deterrence and strong military alliance with a threat coming from the East, mainly from Russia. We have a very common understanding inside the Alliance about our security challenges, and I think it is extremely important now that we work on both – deterrence and defense," Stubb said.
The Finnish President added that his country is actively participating in improving NATO’s command structures and will:
- Along with the United States and northern partners, become part of NATO's Joint Command in Norfolk;
- Work on a strong land component within its armed forces;
- Together with Sweden, develop a forward land-based group to strengthen the Alliance's northern flank.
"But because of the strength of our military, I would argue that we will be a security provider, not a security consumer, and of course, we’ve seen the Alliance countries very willing to help us out," Stubb added.
Risk of Russia-NATO conflict
Earlier this year, the German media outlet Bild published a scenario of military exercises in which the German armed forces prepare for possible hybrid attacks from Russia on NATO's eastern borders. A representative of the North Atlantic Alliance commented that these exercise scenarios are fictional and intended to assess military capabilities in specific regions.
Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense also weighed in, stating that there are currently no threats from Russia to NATO, as Moscow is focused on its war in Ukraine.
Stubb, for his part, expressed confidence that the likelihood of a Russian attack on Finland, which has become part of NATO, is extremely low.
