President Alexander Stubb talked to members of the Finnish Association of Political Journalists in the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Thursday, 30 January 2025. Stubb lauded US President Donald Trump for “talking tough” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it is the only kind of rhetoric understood by Putin. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)
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PRESIDENT Alexander Stubb has lauded US President Donald Trump for not trying to persuade but rather to force Russia to end its war of aggression in Ukraine.
“We in the west may have been pondering too much about how we can persuade [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to negotiate. I’d flip that upside down and ask how can we force Putin to negotiate,” Stubb was quoted as saying to members of the Finnish Association of Political Journalists on Thursday by Helsingin Sanomat.
He added that he is cautiously optimistic that Trump can deliver peace in Ukraine.
“Personally I’m of the opinion that the only talk that Putin understands is tough talk. And that’s exactly the kind of talk that Trump is using against Putin right now. And I actually think that’s a good thing.”
Stubb also faced a number of questions about the stated desire of Trump to gain control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump has not ruled out the use of economic or military force to gain control of the island, claiming it is important for national security, for the “protection of the free world”.
Greenland relies on Denmark, a Nato member, for foreign and defence policy, but has wide-ranging autonomy in most other policy areas.
Stubb refrained from commenting on whether Finland would side – publicly and diplomatically – with Denmark or the US if the US ramps up its effort to apply pressure on Denmark. The question is hypothetical, he said, adding that the country would confront such scenarios if they arise.
The US abandoning its alliances is not a particularly realistic scenario, according to Stubb. Both Trump and the US, he explained, want the US to remain a great power, and great powers require allies.
He did nonetheless admit that pressure, uncertainty and unexpected issues will certainly occur in the second term of Trump.
Veronika Honkasalo (LA), a member of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, last week criticised the foreign policy leadership for walking on eggshells when discussing the remarks of Trump.
“[I]s Finland’s chosen foreign policy stance this extreme restraint, and what does it look like in the global context?” she asked in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday. “If we were talking about any other leader who’s making statements that violate the UN Charter – regarding Greenland, for example – would we exercise the same degree of restraint and say, ‘talk is only talk’?”
“Everyone knows that in politics, talk is also action.”
She also expressed her bafflement at the reluctance of Stubb to explicitly state that Finland will stand by Denmark, a stance the country – she believes – would inevitably adopt if the US ramped up its efforts to gain control of Greenland.
“This is also about Finland’s foreign policy interests. I’m sure we’d hope that if something similar happened to us, the other Nordic countries would have our back,” she reminded. “I think the need to say the choice wouldn’t be self-evident is puzzling if we do indeed support the rules-based system and international law in foreign policy.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
