Speaking in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel on Monday, Finland’s president said Ukraine’s battlefield experience makes it a strategic asset for Europe and NATO.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb argued that Europe should shift its focus from “what it can do for Ukraine” to “what Ukraine can do for Europe.”
“We should gradually shift our thinking from ‘how can we help Ukraine’ to ‘how can Ukraine help us,’” Stubb said.
Praising Ukraine’s armed forces for their battlefield adaptation, he added: “There is no other army in Europe or in the United States that is capable of modern warfare in the way Ukraine is.”
Stubb, who became Finland’s president in 2024 after previously serving as prime minister and foreign minister, has remained a vocal supporter of Ukraine and stronger European security coordination following Finland’s accession to NATO.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has rapidly adapted to evolving battlefield conditions, integrating drone warfare, electronic warfare, decentralized command structures, and Western weapons systems at a pace that has drawn attention from military planners worldwide.
Military analysts and NATO officials have increasingly pointed to Ukraine’s combat experience as a source of lessons in high-intensity warfare, particularly in drone deployment, artillery coordination, battlefield communications, and resilience against larger conventional forces.
Pavel, a former NATO Military Committee chairman and retired general, echoed those concerns by warning that questioning NATO’s credibility only serves the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Referring to “paper tiger” comments, he said such rhetoric undermines allied unity and benefits Moscow.
The Prague meeting underscored ongoing efforts by European allies to maintain political and military backing for Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly argued that its armed forces are not only defending Ukrainian territory but also serving as Europe’s first line of defense against Russian expansionism.