Stubb on the possibility of shooting down Russian aircraft in Finland: The most important thing is not to overreact

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that it is necessary to remain calm and not to react "too violently" to Russian violations of NATO airspace. He said this in an interview with CNN.

According to Stubb, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's goal is to wage two types of war: conventional with Ukraine and hybrid in the West.

"In such situations, we need to do two things. First, we have to stay calm. This is the Finnish way of doing things. And secondly, when necessary, we should build up our defense to prevent this from happening again. But the main thing here is not to overreact. I think that's the most important thing," Stubb said .

The presenter asked the Finnish president if they would shoot down air targets that violate their airspace after US President Donald Trump said that NATO should shoot down any Russian aircraft that crosses their airspace.

"No, we have protocols. So, first we check, then we announce, and then it's up to the Air Force to decide what should happen and when. We have a lot of airspace violations, so it all depends on the situation, with a very clear legal protocol that we deal with," Stubb said .

According to the Finnish leader, the rule of "carrots and sticks" should be followed in relations with Russia. And if in the beginning they showed the "carrot", now Trump is showing the "stick".

• Instead, after Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace on September 19, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė supported shooting down Russian aircraft.
• On September 22, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister called for "neutralizing" Russian air targets, not escorting them.