Finland's former president: Europe should do as Trump

Do as US President Donald Trump and have direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That’s the advice from Finland’s former president Sauli Niinistö, who also warns that Europe is becoming a lightweight on the world stage.

It could be wise for Europe and its leaders, as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine, to speak directly with Vladimir Putin instead of going through Donald Trump, Niinistö suggests.

According to the former Finnish president, France’s President Emmanuel Macron was the last to have called, and before that, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz about a year ago – something he was scolded for.

“I defended him and still think it’s somewhat absurd that Europeans say they don’t speak with the war criminal Putin. But Trump does, and then we go and hear what they talked about,” Niinistö told Yle.

While European leaders seem to prefer going through Trump, they are also afraid that Putin and Trump will talk about Europe over Europe’s head, Niinistö notes, suggesting that it might be a reason for Europe to speak directly with Moscow.

“When in such a situation, it could be wise to also have these conversations oneself. Just like Trump,” he said.

Niinistö with Putin. Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0

Europe increasingly weaker

Niinistö also notes that Europe’s influence has diminished during the 21st century and that it is now the US, China, and Russia making decisions about the world.

“I have sometimes depicted these power structures as a square where the EU was one corner. Unfortunately, it has now become a triangle,” he said, suggesting that Europe is at a crossroads and must pull itself together if it is to maintain its own identity.

“Europe must keep Europe European and absolutely must not submit to becoming an object of division, so that someone belongs to one camp and someone else to another,” he added.

Greater focus on security

Niinistö argues that security is “the foundation of our entire existence” and it would be good if, from a young age, people learned to understand that it is a comprehensive issue consisting of more components than just the military and police.

“I think it would be quite nice if schools systematically paid more attention to teaching students to understand that security is a fundamental structure. That they also learn to appreciate the tasks performed within the structure,” he said.