HELSINKI (Realist English). One day before the opening of the NATO summit in the Turkish capital, Finnish President Alexander Stubb gave an interview to the Financial Times in which he stated that NATO supports tougher Ukrainian strikes against Russia.
According to him, long-range Ukrainian drone attacks have changed the US view of the war and placed Kyiv in the “best position” since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
“Everyone, including our American friends, sees that Ukraine is now at the top. This has changed the strategic thinking of those trying to mediate in the peace process,” the publication quoted Stubb as saying.
‘Ukraine Is at the Top’: How Drones Changed Strategy
Stubb, considered the European leader with the closest personal ties to US President Donald Trump, stressed that Ukrainian long-range strikes have become a key factor in changing Washington’s perception of the war.
According to him, Ukraine’s successes in producing and deploying drones have convinced American allies that Kyiv is capable of delivering tangible strikes on Russian territory.
As Stubb previously noted, Ukraine has gone from zero drone production to 1.5 million last year and 4 million this year. In his view, this has fundamentally changed the balance of power on the battlefield.
“Ukraine is now in the best military position since the start of the war,” the Finnish president has repeatedly stated.
NATO Prepares €70 Billion for Ukraine
On the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7–8, Stubb confirmed that the alliance intends to allocate €70 billion ($80 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2026 and at least equivalent amounts in 2027.
This decision, he said, demonstrates the unity of the alliance and the readiness of European members to take on greater responsibility for the continent’s security.
Stubb has previously repeatedly called on Western allies to “support Ukraine as long as it takes, and at this stage almost at any cost,” as well as to “strike as hard as possible” and continue to supply Kyiv with “all necessary means, including Tomahawk.”
Acknowledging Russia’s Strategic Failure
In the interview, Stubb also called Russia’s war against Ukraine a “complete strategic failure for Vladimir Putin.” According to him, contrary to the Kremlin’s goals, the conflict has led to NATO’s expansion through the accession of Finland and Sweden, as well as to increased defence budgets of European countries.
“Putin wanted to take control of Ukraine… it has become European,” the Finnish president said, noting that Moscow’s goals of preventing NATO expansion and weakening European defence spending have also failed.
Moscow’s Reaction
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously rejected such assessments, stating that “if you take the last decade, Ukraine was in the best position for 8 years: from 2014 to 2022.”
Moscow has repeatedly emphasised that Western arms supplies to Kyiv only prolong the conflict and do not change its outcome.
The Finnish president’s statement on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara indicates a fundamental shift in Western allies’ perception of the war’s course.
Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory, in the Finnish leader’s view, have changed Washington’s strategic thinking and placed Kyiv in the most advantageous position since the start of the conflict.
At the same time, the upcoming summit, which is expected to approve a new aid package for Ukraine, will be a test of the alliance’s unity in the face of the ongoing war.