China privately assured Finland it would not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons, Stubb says
China has privately assured Finland that it would not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said, arguing that Beijing's position provides a significant deterrent against nuclear escalation.
“I had the foreign minister of China visiting me this summer, and I raised the issue,” Stubb told the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network in an interview published by Politico. “And he said, we will never allow it to happen. And I think that's a pretty good deterrence.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Stubb in Helsinki on July 5, when the two discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and European security. China remains one of Russia's most important economic and diplomatic partners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in July that European leaders who had spoken with Chinese officials told him Beijing had responded unusually strongly to calls in Russian media for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in response to Ukrainian strikes.
Stubb argued that Russia benefits from keeping Europeans focused on fears of nuclear escalation or a direct attack on NATO.
“Russia wants us Europeans to sit here and discuss: Will Russia escalate? Will Russia use nuclear weapons? Will Russia attack NATO and Europe?” he said.
“Stay calm, stay cool, stay collected, stay vigilant,” Stubb added. “Don't dramatize, prepare for the worst in order to avoid it.”
The Finnish president also played down the prospect of an imminent Russian attack on NATO. He described Moscow's attempts to test the alliance as “more like teasing” than preparations for war, pointing to Russian forces remaining heavily committed in Ukraine and NATO's deterrent capabilities.
At the same time, Stubb said Europe was approaching a point when restoring direct political contact with Moscow could become useful.
“I'm sure we are approaching the day when it would be useful for Europeans to be in more direct contact with Russia,” he said, arguing that communication would help avoid misunderstandings.
Stubb stressed that Europe had “not reached that point yet” and that supporting Ukraine remained the immediate priority.
Finland shares a roughly 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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