Finland reveals China’s pledge to keep Russia from using nuclear weapons

China has privately assured Finland that it would prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview.

Speaking exclusively to Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, Stubb gave a firm assessment when asked whether Moscow might turn to nuclear weapons, saying that Beijing could serve as a significant constraint on Russia’s escalation of the war in Ukraine.

“I had the foreign minister of China visiting me this summer, and I raised the issue,” Stubb said. “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 with Stubb in Helsinki on July 5, with discussions focusing in part on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and broader European security concerns. China continues to be among Moscow’s key economic and diplomatic partners.

Stubb also maintained that Russia gains from keeping European countries focused on the possibility of nuclear escalation or a direct confrontation with NATO.

By Jeyhun Aghazada