Finland is the western part, which borders the East directly. This geographical situation places special demands on the country’s leadership, and it seems that the current President Sauli Nīniste is dealing with them.
In the middle of his second six-year presidency, 72-year-old Niniste is very popular in his country and is one of the few leaders respected in both Washington and Moscow, in the American magazine Foreign Policy. indicates journalist and historian Gordon Sanders, who specializes in Baltic and Nordic issues.
Neutral “white crow”
The fact that the President of Finland can be taken seriously today as someone who speaks in the name of Western democracy shows how much this country and Europe have changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Thirty years ago, Finland was Europe’s ‘white crow’. The country’s foreign policy was described as “active neutrality”, with the Soviet Union having a mutually beneficial (albeit difficult) so-called special relationship, which required, among other things, Finnish leaders to avoid forming alliances with the West.
Today, Finland no longer calls itself neutral. “We use the term ‘not joined’,” explains Nīniste. “But we are part of the European Union,” he said. Finland joined the European Union (EU) in 1995, and support for membership in the bloc remains high.
Have good relations with Moscow…
“We have good relations with the West. But we are neighbors to the East, ”says Nīniste. He emphasizes that it is easy to find common ground with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even when discussing “sensitive” issues.
“Niniste is a cold-blooded realist, but not an idealist,” says Mika Āltola, director of the Finnish Institute of International Relations. “It simply came to our notice then [Vladimiru] Putin with long lectures on liberalism. He supports good working relations with Putin, regardless of what is happening in Ukraine or other important security issues.
It is the tradition of Finnish realists not to turn their backs on Russia, but also not to show their concerns. “
Among the most important issues that Niniste discusses with the President of Russia is the possible upgrading of Finland’s status in relations with NATO from a partner to a full member state. Putin makes no secret of his opposition.
“The Russians have made it clear that when they look across the border, they see the Finns. If Finland joined NATO, they would see the enemies. That is their position, “
admitted Niniste in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2018.
At present, the majority of Finnish citizens are against joining NATO. On the other hand, Nīnistem’s possibility to join NATO, maintaining a strong, independent, technically well-equipped defense force, is a sufficient restraint factor. “It is possible to call 290 thousand trained soldiers into our defense forces, as well as to arm them,” Āltola points out. “This is fully comparable to the defense forces of most European countries.”
In addition, Finland is among the countries whose people are able to defend themselves – in the event of a military conflict, approx 80% of Finnish citizens are ready to take up arms and repel the enemy, of which Putin is no doubt known, the author points out.
The “special bond” between the Russian and Finnish leaders has been further confirmed by recent events. Niniste on Twitter recorded bythat in a telephone conversation with Putin he discussed “ways to resolve the tense situation in Belarus”, as well as the situation of the poisoned Alexei Navalny. Soon after, representatives of the headquarters of the Russian opposition politician thanked Niniste said he had helped convince Putin of the need to transfer Navalny to Berlin for treatment.
… And with Washington
According to John Bolton, the former US President’s Adviser on National Security, the President of Finland believes that he knows both [ASV prezidentu Donaldu] Both Trump and Putin are good enough to advise Trump on how to talk to Putin before the US and Russian presidents meet in Helsinki in July 2018.
“Niniste reminded Trump that Putin is a fighter, and Tramp must give him a counterattack in the event of an attack. Just like when preparing Trump for a boxing match, Niniste warned her not to “expose herself” and not to step back an inch, “Bolton writes in his memoir, The Room Where It Happened.
Trump ignored Niniste’s advice. This was clearly seen in a farce-like press conference after the meeting. However, there is no doubt that Nīniste’s recommendations were reasonable, the author admits.
It is important to have good relations with Washington if you want to have a stabilizing effect on Moscow. And it is obviously in Finland’s interest to know what is happening in Moscow,
believes Mika Āltola.
“We have to remember that in Finland we had to study and understand the Kremlin’s style and methods much more than in any other western country,” Alto agreed with the well-known Finnish documentary filmmaker Michael Frank.
A very healthy democracy
Judging by the record-high ratings, the Finns appreciate Niniste’s ability to think realistically – his work as president is supported by about 90% of respondents.
There is also strong support for 34-year-old Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marina and her left-wing central government. Finland is probably the most popular democratically elected government in Europe.
Almost three quarters of eligible voters took part in last year’s Finnish parliamentary elections. In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Finland is ranked as the third least corrupt country in the world.
“We are almost free of corruption. The level of trust in power is high. Our democracy is in good health. “
proudly says Niniste. However, his view on the health of liberal democracy in general does not seem to be the case: “We have already realized that democracy is not guaranteed. We need to cherish it, and perhaps even more than we should have done long before. ”
Between Scilla and Haribdu
The Finnish president refrains from directly criticizing both Trump and Putin, but no doubt criticizes the policies of both leaders.
“I prefer the United States to stay,” he said dryly about Washington’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization. He also indirectly criticized the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
Regarding the recent referendum that allows the Russian president to remain in power at least until 2036, Niniste said: “We do not know whether [Putins] intends to continue its activities and, [ja plāno], then for how long.
However, the decision to hold a referendum really shows that the habits in Russia are very different from our democracy. “
“In Finland, we have long said that we cannot change geography. But we can maintain a clear and consistent Western course in our relations with our eastern neighbor and improve our relations between East and West, ”explains the President of Finland. He points out that this approach has been effective in terms of the successful East-West summits that have taken place in Helsinki since the 1975 megasamite and the historic Helsinki Accords. The President of Finland is convinced that “it will be effective in the future”.
Finns like clarity, but they can also remain silent
Ninistem seems to have shared feelings about the European Union. Although he, like most Finnish citizens, continues to support Finland’s membership of the EU, he was dissatisfied with the lack of coordination at the beginning of the pandemic. Niniste also unequivocally criticizes the EU’s lack of a common strategy for the economy and security.
“The European Union needs to develop its common economic and security strategy so that this potential can be turned into an impact. The European Union has a lot to do to return to the world stage as an influential world player, ”said the President of Finland.
Like many elderly Finns who remember how European countries did not want to come to the aid of Finland in 1939-1940. During the Soviet and Finnish wars, Niniste was still afraid to rely too much on Washington or NATO. He would like Europe to be self-reliant on such matters.
Niniste would also like to find out about the article on mutual protection in the EU’s “constitution”. It says that if an EU Member State falls victim to aggression on its territory, other Member States must help it. Like other Finns, Niniste is not sure he understands what this means. “When it comes to defense, Finns like clarity,” says the director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
However, there are also situations where the sensible President of Finland chooses to remain silent. He does not comment on the EU trade sanctions imposed on Russia following the annexation of Crimea, from which Finland has suffered more than other EU countries. But when Ninem was asked to comment on the decision to use federal forces in the National Guard to suppress recent protests in the United States, a country he had previously called a “great democracy,” the Finnish president simply declined to respond.
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