A major Nordic power will soon have a new leader, as Alexander Stubb narrowly defeated his opponent, Pekka Haavisto, in a runoff race to elect Finland's next president.
Finland is the newest member of the North Atlantic Alliance, having joined last year following a concerted effort from current Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Its membership is crucial for the European Union and all Western allies given Finland's shared border with Russia. So how will Stubb's presidency affect Finland's partnership with the world's key military alliance?
What did the commentators say? Finland shares the single-longest land border with Russia, spanning 830 miles. How Finland deals with Russian aggression has "taken on special interest to its European and American allies as the geopolitical order shifts," Erika Solomon and Johanna Lemola said in The New York Times. When Finland joined NATO in April 2023, it represented a "sharp break from its decades of nonalignment, and the risks and responsibilities of the country's new place in the world" have been brought to the forefront.
Stubb will command Finland's military, and "Europe's security is at stake as never before since World War II, due to Russia's invasion," Jari Tanner said for The Associated Press, summarizing the views of Finnish media. With tensions rising, Stubb said his priorities include "maintaining a hardline toward Moscow," strengthening security ties with Washington, and helping Ukraine "both militarily and at a civilian level."
As Stubb takes office, he will "become a president of difficult times, possibly even a wartime president," said Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. And while Stubb has promoted peace through NATO, he is slightly "more hawkish" than his opponent, Haavisto, said Charlie Duxbury for Politico. Notably, Haavisto "opposed the presence of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory, while Stubb said it might be necessary under certain circumstances."
What next? Stubb will be inaugurated on March 1. Russia may ramp up aggression to hold Stubb's feet to the fire right away. "The authorities should be aware that there is a good chance that Russia is going to try and test Finland in some way," Finnish Institute of International Affairs' Charly Salonius-Pasternak said to the Swedish newspaper Expressen.Â
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Stubb on his victory on X. "I look forward to advancing our relations and our shared vision of a free, united and well-defended Europe," he said. |