Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had assured him that Beijing would not allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike against Ukraine.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Stubb said he had raised the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons during a meeting with Wang Yi, who visited Helsinki in July.
“This summer, the Chinese foreign minister visited me, and I raised this issue [the possibility of a Russian nuclear strike against Ukraine]. And he said: ‘We will never allow this.’ And I think that is quite an effective deterrent,” the Finnish president noted.
Stubb also said he did not consider a Russian attack on NATO likely.
“I don’t believe Russia would ever want to attack the most powerful military alliance in the world, NATO. <...> I’m not saying, ‘Relax.’ You always have to prepare for the worst to prevent it. But, firstly, I have intelligence. Secondly, we have deterrence — and that deterrence is stronger than that of any other military power in the world. It makes no sense for any power in the world to test the resolve of this alliance,” Stubb added.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
