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Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been descibed by another under-threat country as 'one of the biggest strategic and tactical mistakes in recent military history'.
Finland leader Alexander Stubb says Russia has been building up forces on its side of the Finnish-Russian border but that his country, now a member of NATO, is keeping "cool, calm and collected" in the face of aggression.
The Scandinavian nation's head of strategy for its defence forces confirmed last week that it was monitoring the situation on the border and doing its job to “prepare for the worst”.
Finland shares the longest European land border with Russia, stretching 832 miles, with the major Russian city of Saint Petersburg around 500 miles faway.
The country became the 31st member of NATO when it officially joined in 2023. Both Finland and Sweden applied for membership following Russia's attempted invasion of Ukraine, citing security concerns.
Russia staunchly opposed the decision with Moscow growing increasingly weary with the reality that NATO troops could be positioned so close to Russian territory.
"We Fins are cool, calm and collected," said President Stubb in an interview with CNN. "Sometimes when you see things in the international media, it's perhaps a little bit twisted. We have the border under full control.
"Russia has always had military bases along our border and there is a normal build-up. You have to remember that four brigades were moved from the Leningrad district when the war began in Ukraine.
"And, our expectation is that there will be a build-up as the war is over and that build-up will continue."
President Donald Trump held talks with his Finnish counterpart at his Mar-a-Lago home earlier this year and sat next to the 57-year-old during the funeral of Pope Francis.
President Stubb confirmed the pair "speak over the phone fairly regularly."
"It's (the conversations) normal diplomatic exchanges of ideas, and I'm glad that I can do that because I come from a small country. And, whenever the president of a small country is able to speak with the President of the United States, it's a good part of our diplomacy."
On the Russian miliary build-up, Stubb said:"The reason is very simple. We have one of the largest militaries in Europe, together with Turkey, Ukraine and Poland.
"And, on top of that, we have just doubled NATO's border, so that is normal Russian activity."
Finland's obligatory military service adds 900,000 personnel to its potential wartime reserve and it boasts an impressive weapons arsenal with recently acquired 64 F-35 fighter jets.
Stubb added: "We don't have it because we're worried about Sweden, we have it because we want to create a deterrent against Russia.
"One of the borders that the French should be least worried about is the Finnish border - we've got this, with our allies."
Stubb was asked about Moscow's claims Ukraine's desire to join NATO is what prompted the war, and if he had similar concerns for Finland after joining the alliance.
"I don't think Finland would have joined NATO if Putin had not attacked Ukraine," the president said. "Of course, Finland and Ukraine are a different kettle of fish and we have a very different history.
"The second reason is I think Putin actually made one of the biggest strategic and tactical mistakes in recent military history - he underestimated the power of the Ukrainian military.
"He overestimated his own army and he underestimated the resolve of the unity of the West. He was trying to make Ukraine Russian, well, it became European. He tried to split the European Union, I've never seen it more united.
"He tried to split the transatlantic partnership, especially NATO, and ended up with neutral Sweden and Finland joining NATO."
English (US) · 