Presidential elections | Stubb to Reuters: The US is unlikely to leave Europe to its own devices

Presidential candidate Alexander Stubb (kok) says in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that he does not believe that the United States will leave Europe on its own luck.

“However, it is good to be prepared for a situation where we have to take more responsibility for our own defense,” says Stubb.

Stubb says that he is on the same lines as the current president when emphasizing Europe's responsibility Sauli Niinistöwho has spoken about a more European NATO than the current one.

Stubbs is not worried in the interview Donald Trump's about a possible re-election as US president, even though information about Trump's meeting with the president of the EU Commission became public this week Ursula von der Leyen with in 2020 in Davos.

The internal market commissioner who was in the room at the meeting Thierry Breton revealed For Politico that Trump, who was still president at the time, had sworn that the United States would not defend Europe militarily if Europe were attacked.

Trump had also repeated his threat at the meeting that the United States would leave NATO. He had particularly criticized Germany for not fulfilling its promises regarding defense budgets.

“Americans understand why we (Finland) are important, and in that sense, any person elected as president of the United States understands the same,” says Stubb.

He also says in the interview that Finland will not have political relations with Russia as long as the Russian attack in Ukraine continues. According to Stubb, this does not mean breaking off diplomatic relations, but that there is no “Russia pillar” in foreign policy.