President of Finland: Russia will not attack NATO

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, stated on Saturday that he did not believe that Russia would attack NATO, the “most powerful military alliance in the world”. However, in an interview with the German newspaper Photo, he stated that NATO should “preparate for the worst of the worst to prevent the worst of the worst”. According to Stubb, Russia lost more soldiers than it recruited and judged that it could mobilize more troops in the autumn, although this would have “domestic political implications”. He said that Moscow was in “an increasingly complex situation”, while stressing that Russia would not end the conflict because of the economic downturn. He said: “Never underestimate the extent to which Russians can afford economic hardship”。