Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb proclaimed from a World Economic Forum panel on Wednesday that Europe can defend itself without the help of the United States.
Prime Minister Stubb, one of a series of European leaders who variously claim to be a so-called “Trump whisperer”, attempted to paint a rosy picture of EU defence capabilities from the Davos stage.
When asked if Europe has the ability to defend itself, the Finnish leader said: “Unequivocally yes… without the Americans.”
Pressed on exactly how this would be accomplished, given Finland’s reliance on the United States in multiple respects, Mr Stubb said the Finnish model could serve as an example, pointing to the use of military conscription, through which a million Finns have undergone training. He said that as a result, Helsinki can mobilise 280,000 troops “within weeks”.
However, halfway through his answer, Stubb admitted that his country’s fleet of 62 F-18 fighter jets is reliant on the United States to operate, “but do we trust that they will continue to fly because it’s in the interest of America to do so? Yes.”
“We just bought 64 F-35s. We have the biggest artillery in Europe together with Poland. We have long-range missiles, land, sea, and air. We don’t have these because we’re worried about Stockholm, right? So… can the Finnish military defend itself against a Russian attack? Yes, we can.”
The statements from the Finnish leader come amid a broader movement within Europe stressing the need for the bloc to be capable of defending itself, a longtime goal pushed by the first and second Trump administrations.
On Tuesday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her address at the Davos meeting to call for “European Independence” amid heightened tensions with the United States over the future of Greenland.
The confidence expressed by Stubb, perhaps, is attributable to Finland’s past military successes against Moscow. Indeed, during the Winter War of 1939-1940, Finland successfully repelled the much larger force of the Soviet Union and prevented the communist empire from taking control of its territory as it did throughout much of Eastern Europe.
During the Cold War, Finland had long sought to remain neutral between the West and the Soviets. However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Nordic nation petitioned to join the American-led NATO alliance.
Outside of Ukraine, Finland is one of the most militarised societies in Europe. Kai Sauer of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs has previously noted that it has as many trained fighters per capita as ancient Sparta.
However, despite the muscular stance from Finland, it remains the case that much of Europe is still largely reliant on the United States for its defence, including Ukraine, which heavily relies on American weapons, technology, and intelligence to fight the Russians.
Even the so-called coalition of the willing Anglo-Franco force planned to be deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine would only be sent with the express guarantee that the American military would come to their aid if attacked by Russian forces.
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