NEW YORK — The U.S. Pentagon should retain key military equipment in Europe to deter Russia even as Washington prepares to draw down the number of troops it keeps stationed on the continent, Finland’s president told POLITICO on Thursday.

Speaking at the Finnish residence in New York, Alexander Stubb said he was “not too worried” about the outcome of the ongoing review of U.S. strategic assets around the world, the results of which are expected to be unveiled in coming weeks.

“I think there’ll be a bit of a shift to the Indo-Pacific and that’s understandable,” Stubb said, referring to discussions about potentially moving U.S. troops and military equipment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region. “When it comes to the number of troops there will probably be some discussion on that but at this stage I’m not too worried. It’s in the strategic interest of the United States, and very cost effective” to keep U.S. forces in Europe.

He added: “I’m sure there will be some reduction, but by how much we don’t know.”

While some American policymakers have called for reducing U.S. troop numbers, the Pentagon has yet to reveal its plans. Officials in countries that neighbor Russia — which has repeatedly violated European airspace in recent days — are bracing for imminent drawdowns, with Estonian President Alar Karis telling POLITICO earlier this month that front-line nations needed to prepare for this possibility.

The main concern for European NATO allies, per Stubb, was that the U.S. continues to keep “essential equipment,” such as “air carriers” and radar, based on the continent. The U.S. currently has between 70,000 and 90,000 troops stationed in Europe — a number that increased under former President Joe Biden after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

‘Interpreting Zelenskyy’

In Finland — whose border with Russia is more than 1,300 kilometers long — the president is in charge of foreign policy as well as being commander-in-chief of the armed forces. As such, Stubb has been credited with playing an important role in speaking to U.S. President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, including during a round of golf in March.

The outing was credited with helping to change Trump’s perspective on Ukraine, as it was shortly afterward that he started to speak and post more critically about Vladimir Putin and Russia’s role in the world — though Stubb was adamant about not claiming too much credit for influencing the American president.

“Under no circumstance do I want to inflame my own role,” he said. “I think Europe and the United States are playing well together under Trump — much better than they did in 2016. There is deep cooperation, especially with the big boys: France, U.K., Germany and Italy. And then I want to stress that President Trump has close relations with Secretary-General [of NATO] Mark Rutte and [European] Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.”

He added: “Our dialogue with the president is open and frank. We are able to interpret Zelenskyy to Trump and Trump to Zelenskyy. I would argue the two of them are in a good place.”

A recent Truth Social post by Trump, in which he wrote that Ukraine could reconquer all the territory it has lost to Russia in three years of war, had been a “gamechanger” in terms of showing where the president now stood on the war, Stubb said.

And while some EU leaders have voiced skepticism about the depth of the president’s apparent shift on Ukraine — with Polish President Donald Tusk saying it’s a way of shifting full responsibility for the war to Europe — Stubb rejected that idea.

“I’ve heard this theory that this was an off-ramp” in terms of U.S. support for Ukraine, he said. “I disagree with this theory. All the indications we get show that President Trump is very serious … I think President Trump is justifiably disappointed in President Putin … that leaves no space for interpretation.”

After Europe passed its 19th round of sanctions against Russia, Stubb said the combined effect was taking a major toll on Russia’s economy. “They’ve run out of reserves. Their inflation and interest rates are both over 20 percent. Their growth rate is zero or negative. And they are going to have to raise taxes. So Russia is seeing the economic price of the war,” he said.

However, in order to convince Russia to agree to a ceasefire, “we’re going to have to change Putin’s strategic game” by making him understand that we stand “united, firm, behind Ukraine.”

Putin was currently testing NATO’s resolve via “hybrid warfare” including repeated airspace violations by drones and combat aircraft. “As a Finn it’s important to stay calm in these situations,” Stubb said. “Show resolve.”