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Finland will not be deterred by Russian threats from applying to join NATO, Finnish ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb says. He told DW that the country would be a major security asset for the alliance.
Finland's policy turnaround in favor of joining NATO was "better late than never," former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has told DW in an interview, saying he had "been an advocate of Finnish NATO membership for the better part of 30 years."
Speaking after Finland's prime minister and president came out in favor of their country applying for NATO membership "without delay" on Thursday, Stubb said Putin had "made a tactical and strategic mistake, which he's now paying for."
"Without [Russian President Vladimir Putin's] attack on Ukraine, I don't think the Finnish public opinion would have changed as radically as it has," Stubb told DW, adding that "when you kill innocent human beings, women and children, that's when people react."
