Finnish trust in US defence support collapses after Trump’s return

By admin On Apr 25, 2025

An American soldier (left) teaches a Finnish soldier how to use a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle. Finns do not trust that Trump’s United States would come to Europe’s aid, reveals a recent study. Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva

Public trust in US military support for Europe has fallen sharply in Finland, according to a new study led by the University of Helsinki. Just 16 percent of Finns believe the United States would help defend European countries, down from 30 percent last year.

The survey is part of the ongoing NATOpoll research project and was released on Thursday. The findings come amid growing uncertainty over the direction of US foreign policy following the return of Donald Trump to the presidency.

The study found that the recent shift in opinion has been especially pronounced since Trump’s re-election. It also suggests that the recently ratified bilateral defence cooperation agreement between Finland and the US has not reassured the public. Only around one in four believe the deal would be meaningful under Trump’s leadership.

Hanna Wass, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Helsinki, said the results show a clear change in perception. “There is some kind of deep disappointment in relation to America,” she told Yle.

Despite doubts over US support, belief in the broader NATO alliance remains intact. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they believe Finland would receive help from other NATO members. Just over 60 percent said they would support sending Finnish troops to aid a NATO ally if needed.

Finns continue to strongly support Ukraine. More than 70 percent of respondents back sending European troops as peacekeepers if a post-war agreement is reached. However, only about half support sending Finnish soldiers.

While most said they prefer a peace settlement to continued war, the same number believe peace must not come at the expense of Ukraine’s territory. Eight in ten said Russia should not be allowed to retain any land seized during the invasion. Just 13 percent supported a deal where Moscow would keep any occupied territory.

The findings also show that fewer than half support allowing Ukraine to join NATO or the EU if it fails to meet the standard membership requirements. However, a majority said the US should not have the power to veto Ukraine’s entry into NATO.

Support for Finland’s own NATO membership remains high but has slightly weakened. Around 76 percent of respondents would vote in favour of joining the alliance, down from 81 percent last year. The drop is most evident among women, younger adults, and those with lower levels of education.

While 81 percent of men still support NATO membership, the figure for women is 71 percent. Older respondents are more supportive than younger ones, and backing is strongest among people with higher incomes and education levels.

Among political parties, NATO support is highest among supporters of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s National Coalition Party. It is lowest among voters of the opposition Left Alliance, where fewer than half would vote in favour of NATO membership.

Support for NATO in Finland remains above the alliance-wide average. Across the 32 NATO countries, 70 percent supported membership last year.

The NATOpoll research is conducted by four Finnish universities, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), and Taloustutkimus. The survey sample ranges from 1,700 to 2,900 respondents, with a margin of error of about two percentage points.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi