7 concert on foreign relations. thank you. thank you. stay with us to find out why finland precedents alexander stop is sure ukraine will one day be a member of nato. that's coming up next. and i did of your interview state you in for me all the there's no, i'm just trying to have a site to make the right decision to dw news is to follow up on the official visit to berlin, alex on the stoop. the president offended, made with german president frank 5 to shine maya ends with german,

sean. so the shots in between official commitments, it took time to speak to dodge of eta, about finland's membership of nato, and about increasing security concerns in europe against the background of the russian. the attack on ukraine, more than 2 years ago. that's here. what's alexander still had to say? your country has just been a member of nato for just over a year, and you have a very long boat front line board, a nato front line border. now, with russia, to what extent does this joining they to increase security for, for, and after all, one could say you live together with russia and peaceful, many decades? well, there's a $1300.00. so we've actually had surgery, war skirmishes with russia. so peace is a relative term. if you look at the line of history, we do have one of the largest militaries in europe. we have 56,

the 2 f eighty's. we just bought 64 f 35. we have the biggest artillery together with poland. we have a miss house, air, land, and sea, and as i always say, we don't have the biggest, we're worried about stuck home. we've always had them as a deterrent against russia. what do we give? i think in nato, we are security providers rather than security consumers. and that's the reason why we are able to join nato. so quick a final point. we have doubled nato's border with russia. 1340 kilometers of it, and we will do our parts as part of the alliance to fend off any russian english. what is the situation on the border at the moment also with regard to hybrid threats such as this information or a private res, fine. what's happening there at the moment to do relation with russia? it's relatively calm. we don't see there being a direct military threat at the moment. at the same time,

russia is our number one security threat. why? because it's waging to worse. one is kinetic energy crane and the other was hybrid in europe. so we're quite well prepared to send off cyber attacks, some of tash information wars, and any type of russian meddling. and we'll continue see this increasingly. but the most important thing is that we react to it with our allies in the cool, calm and collected fashion. high as finland's nato membership changed relations with your immediate neighbors with poland, with the baltic states. well, i've never felt more nordic than i do today, and there's always been a strong value born between fitness we've nor a denmark in iceland, but stimulated now i've never felt more baltic because we all have a common course. we all have a common threat, which is russia, and of course we're in many ways working on that threat together. i think we have

increased the security in the baltic sea region because of course now the baltic sea region is also on the baltic sea itself as a nato, like this month, the nato, germany opened a nato. c'mon, center in the city of las talk on the baltic sea. i think finland is also involved in that. there's some criticism in germany that this violates the circle 2 plus for treaty. that was the treaty that prepared the way for german unification. and this tracy pro, prohibits nato troops being stationed on the east german style. what's your position on that? well, i don't want to take issue with german, the interpretation of, of the german constitution, or of any treaties. all i can say is that russia is waging a war of aggression in which it is vying. i think every possible tenant of international law, whether it's un charters, terry told integrity or sovereignty or whether it's the o. s. c e. i think it's very important that nato has a strong parents,

and that determines is based on troops. it's based on missiles and ben. it's based on a nuclear deterrence. and however, then we structure our troops around our own border and that's our job. so do you think actually a situation could develop where nato troops, in fact stations on east german soil is in contravention to of this treaty? again, that's none of my business. all i can say that we want nato troops in finland. that's why we are now a part of norfolk, that is why we have the land force component in nato of norfolk, and that's why we have forward land forces in finland. so the more nato soldiers we get to finland, the better. there's some debates here in germany. you mentioned the sauce about the positioning of a medium range from the south on german file. what do you think that is necessary? what is your opinion? again,

i don't take possession with the german military or defense decisions. we only do our part as part of the alliance, and as i said, we are the only, nor the country that has a capacity ms. long range capacity in the air c, and land in form of johnson's g m, l r s. is on gabriel's, it's part of the overall defense planning of nathan of finland as well. so you feel miss south essential these kinds of medium range missiles are necessary for finland? it is certainly because we have to understand that russia is a security threat. we need to have the capacity and the operative capacity to stave off that possible security threat. and everything begins from deterrence where you have a clear message that look, this is how much troops we have. these are the types of miss us. we have. there's no point to even trying to come in our church, germany and many other countries scrambling to beef up as security priced by the

threat from russia. but i think in your neck of the woods in the eastern baltic, poland, the baltic states security in security is great. so instead of do you feel that enough is being done in your region? well definitely uh you have to remember that feeling has obligatory military service. we have one of the largest military's in europe and one of the reasons we actually built it up was that we were not members of the alliance. so we had defended all for ourselves. so in that says um i would rest assured and sleep my nights quite well in the other allied countries that both exceed security and ne, or security in europe, as in good hands right now with st in the united states. so by far the most important partner of nature and the some dollar to some insecurity about what might happen with now to when the after the presidential elections in the united states

in, in early november. do you think we need to worry about that? no matter who selected whether it's donald trump or come with a hire, as the united states is one name. and that is to be a superpower. and if you want to be a superpower and if you're nemesis, as china, you need allies at 50 or roughly 40 between, between $40.50, of those allies come from europe. so it's 25 percent of the world's countries. it is a values based on an interest based alliance on the united states will not be able to afford to lose here. so you're saying no need to worry in foreign policy, nothing is constant. do you have to worry every day? because if you don't to worry, you're not prepared and that's what happened. postcode, post cold war, people were not prepared. we drove down or ammunition, we drone, our weapons, we drove down our military in this sort of belief that history had ended. so you always have to be prepared, you always have to be a little bit worried. but as i always say, act in a cool, calm and collected fashion. the european union has been talking for decades about his own security style structure as us office be,

and has been involved into your policy. for many years. in the past. there is a lot of pressure now with facing the threat from russia and ukraine. why is this not progressing? why is nothing happening though? while europe, as many tenants of security, it has, i think both soft power and on smart power when it comes to europe in defense. i don't think there shouldn't be any overlapping systems between nato and the e u because of course, we have memberships which go hand in hand. but there are a lot of things that europe can do. it can, for instance, focus on investment on the defense industry. it can make sure that nationally, each country has capacity to maintain it. so security, but all this talk about some kind of a european army or something like that, i don't believe or not. but there does seem to be more urgency in order of this because of the situation you try and doesn't that definitely, i think that's overall. so you should split it into nato, the e u. n. national. and i think what we're seeing right now is

a revamp of the defense for system defense capacities of all european states. and there's a good reason for it. and that reason is vladimir putin on the kremlin and rush. so how do we get out of all of this? uh, what is the chance of finding peace with russia? well, i think there is a window of opportunity after the us selection. so before the integration of the next president of the united states, that is why ukraine has put forward both a 10 point piece plot and a victory plan. and i hope that this will set in motion some kind of a discussion for an altima piece deal between ukrainian or russian. because we're obviously can't go on forever. but the best thing that we can do from your perspective right now is to provide ukraine with a sufficient fine us munition. and i'm going to turn material president savanski has been promoting his so called victor replying. in recent times, the sum doctor bought that from western countries, i think what is your position?

well, probably has many meanings. i mean one is to say that they want an invitation tonight, which i think is a good message. at the end of the day, ukraine will be a member of nate, the when we don't know, but that invitation will have to be a minute. secondly, his messages that he needs weapons and he needs no limits with the use of those weapons. some fiddling has put no limits to the weapons that ukraine can use, coming from finland. and then thirdly, he has the message of peace and he asked negotiations. we just had one of the 10 baskets on the environment being discussed in finland on friday and saturday with the prime minister of ukraine. so i think we're moving in the right direction. so that needs to be a piece planned on a victor. the president stopped. thank you very much for talking to the w. the

policy ask for tom pulls the in history and i know for you to i. e shows is across and it's ph. welcome. this is my 6th says color. so

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if you come to aquinos and you just think like, oh, i'm just gonna speak spanish, spanish. you're not going to win them over latino voters divided between harris and trump powerful but fractured demographics. everybody keeps going. other for everybody to their support determined. wednesday us selection report or this weekend on dw, hey, you're welcome, definitely use your proposal to our channel. what's hand pick tre, news on this stuff, and in this story, it's still just a click away. the, what's the discovery fascinating chases to great

idea. compelling consumers to apply and get in the hi, i'm not well free as i am. i'm a writer of historian and see right to welcome. this is my 5th the the in the capital of my country, donna and this is like southwest the

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