President: Finland does not consider defence spending burden

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, does not see the increase in defence spending, which NATO member countries have conditionally agreed upon, as a burden.

He commented on the situation during an interview with the newspaper Sydney Morning Herald.

“This (increase in military spending) will not be a shifting of the burden. It will be a sharing of the burden,” the politician said.

“So it’s [increase in military spending] not going to be a burden shift. It’s going to be a burden sharing,” the politician said. 

He expressed confidence that Finland would feel uncomfortable being outside the North Atlantic Alliance.

According to the President of Finland, it would be like “being naked, outdoors, in minus 20 degrees.”

At the same time, Alexander Stubb emphasised the role of American leader Donald Trump in the issue of increasing defence spending by NATO member countries. He also added that European states decided to take this step out of their own interests.