"Finland is not at war with Russia," President Alexander Stubb said at a press conference on Friday ahead of next week's Nato summit in Washington, DC, which he will attend.
Stubb was responding to a recent claim by newly-elected MEP Pekka Toveri (NCP) that Finland is already at war with Russia. Toveri — a retired major general, former MP and intelligence chief at Defence Command Finland — made the comment in a social media post on 29 June.
According to the president, this is not the case.
"At the same time, I’d say that the line between war and peace is nowadays ‘drawn in water,’" said Stubb, using a Finnish expression meaning vague or unclear.
"It is being blurred, and of course Russia is striving for that," Stubb added.
Stubb to meet Biden
Stubb further noted on Friday that Finland's goal is that the decisions made at next week’s summit will form a bridge towards Ukraine's Nato membership.
"The message to Russia is clear that Ukraine is on the path to Nato membership," Stubb said, adding however that it remains difficult to assess the timetable for accession.
The Finnish president also said he expects to meet with his US counterpart Joe Biden "a couple of times" next week.
Earlier on Friday, Stubb signed the defence cooperation agreement between Finland and the United States, which was unanimously approved by Parliament on Monday. The agreement enters into force on 1 September.
Orbán-Putin meeting "inappropriate"
Stubb also commented on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
Hungary took over the EU’s rotating presidency on 1 July. However the EU's foreign policy high representative, Josep Borrell, said that Orbán’s meeting with Putin is not authorised by the European Council.
At the press conference, Stubb described Orbán's actions as inappropriate.
"Personally, I don't think his actions are appropriate. It must be remembered that he is not representing the European Union there, but himself. Such an action, in such a situation, is inappropriate in my opinion," said the president.
Stubb added that he expects Putin to use his meeting with Orbán to his own advantage, especially in terms of domestic audiences.
