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Finland’s president says China could stop Russia from using nuclear weapons
🇷🇴 Romania /Conflict & Security

Finland’s president says China could stop Russia from using nuclear weapons

From Adevărul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • Finnish President Alexander Stubb said China privately assured Finland that Russia would not be allowed to use nuclear weapons.
  • Stubb described China as a strong deterrent against escalation but said Russia benefits when Europeans focus on fears of nuclear use or an attack on NATO.
  • He said Europe may eventually need more direct political contacts with Moscow, although it has not yet reached that point.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb says China has privately promised Finland that it will not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons, presenting Beijing as a possible restraint on escalation in the war in Ukraine.

The Chinese Foreign Minister visited me this summer and I raised this issue. And he said: ‘We will never allow such a thing to happen.’ And I think that is quite a strong deterrence.

— Alexander StubbStubb described a private assurance from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons.

In an interview with Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, Stubb said China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, gave him the assurance during a meeting in Helsinki on July 5. “The Chinese Foreign Minister visited me this summer and I raised this issue. And he said: ‘We will never allow such a thing to happen.’ And I think that is quite a strong deterrence,” Stubb said. The meeting covered Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and European security.

China remains one of Moscow’s most important economic and diplomatic partners. Stubb argued that Russia gains when Europeans spend their time debating whether it might escalate, use nuclear weapons, or attack NATO and Europe. His advice was restrained: “Stay calm, keep your heads, remain in control, stay vigilant. Do not dramatize, prepare for the worst in order to avoid that scenario happening.”

Russia wants us Europeans to sit here and discuss: Will Russia escalate? Will it use nuclear weapons? Will Russia attack NATO and Europe?

— Alexander StubbStubb said Russia benefits from European anxiety over escalation and a possible attack on NATO.

Stubb similarly played down the prospect of an imminent Russian attack on NATO. He described Moscow’s efforts to test the alliance’s response as “more of a provocation” than preparation for war, saying Russian forces remain concentrated in Ukraine and NATO’s deterrence makes a direct attack very unlikely.

Stay calm, keep your heads, remain in control, stay vigilant. Do not dramatize, prepare for the worst in order to avoid that scenario happening.

— Alexander StubbStubb urged Europeans to stay prepared without exaggerating the threat.

At the same time, Stubb said Europe is approaching the point at which direct political contact with Moscow could become useful, particularly to prevent misunderstandings. “I am sure we are approaching the point where it would be useful for Europeans to have more direct contacts with Russia,” he said. He added that Europe “has not yet reached that point.”

More of a provocation.

— Alexander StubbStubb characterized Russian efforts to test NATO’s response rather than describing them as preparations for war.
About this summary

Originally published by Adevărul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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