Finnish President Stubb: India Can Speak to All Sides in Global Conflicts

Speaking to ANI in Mumbai following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Stubb said the two leaders held extensive discussions on global conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine and escalating tensions involving Iran.

"It's an honour and privilege to spend three hours in the presence of the Prime Minister of India. We had a very good and engaging, broad-ranging conversation about conflicts around the world, relations with China, the United States, Russia and Europe, and of course bilateral relations," Stubb said.

He noted that modern conflicts have evolved beyond localised wars into broader regional crises.

"Conflicts after the Cold War used to be quite local. Now they have become regional, whether it's Russia-Ukraine or now Iran, with missiles flying to 12-13 countries. The situation is on the knife edge," he said, calling for de-escalation in the region.

Stubb added that while countries may try to stay out of conflicts, global repercussions are unavoidable.

"There's always an impact, whether it's oil prices, trade or maritime routes," he said, adding that the current situation "is not looking good."

The Finnish President emphasised that India's balanced foreign policy allows it to maintain ties with multiple sides in global conflicts.

"India is one of those rare countries that can pretty much speak with everyone. It has a pragmatic and realistic foreign policy and doesn't have deep alliances, which makes it quite open," he said.

Referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Stubb said Russia's invasion has ultimately backfired strategically.

"Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has been a strategic failure. It wanted to make Ukraine Russian, but Ukraine became European. It wanted to prevent NATO enlargement but ended up with Finland and Sweden joining. It also wanted to demilitarise Europe, but defence spending is now rising," he said.

He added that India's relationships with Russia, Ukraine and the United States place it in a strong position to remain diplomatically engaged.

Speaking on tensions involving Iran, Stubb said recent developments have heightened risks in the region.

"Iran made a strategic mistake with the counterattacks. It's not attacking only American or Israeli bases but also civilian infrastructure in the Gulf, which is dangerous," he said.

Commenting on the role of US President Donald Trump in global conflicts, Stubb said fears that Trump's approach would be isolationist have not materialised.

"President Trump is very engaged in foreign policy. Many feared his policy would be isolationist, but it has not been, whether in Venezuela, Ukraine, Gaza or Iran," he said, while expressing hope that tensions in West Asia would eventually de-escalate.

Looking ahead, Stubb expressed strong optimism about India's role in shaping the global order.

"The future is Indian. I don't say this just because I'm in India. Demography, economy and history speak in your favour," he said.

Stubb also reiterated his support for India's permanent membership in the UN Security Council, arguing that global institutions must reflect contemporary geopolitical realities rather than those of 1945.

"If we want to save multilateralism, we have to give power and a seat at the table to the countries that matter today," he said.

Addressing Finland's evolving security policy, Stubb said the country's decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was driven by security considerations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He clarified that legislative changes under discussion are aimed at aligning Finland with NATO's deterrence framework.

"We are upgrading legislation from the 1980s. Finland is not going to become a nuclear power, nor will we host or transport nuclear weapons during peacetime," he said.

Instead, Finland seeks to participate in NATO's nuclear planning structure, which is part of the alliance's broader deterrence strategy.

"Our decision is about protecting ourselves and being part of NATO's deterrence," Stubb added.

- ANI