Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 7 (ANI): Calling India one of the few countries capable of engaging with all sides in global conflicts, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said New Delhi’s pragmatic foreign policy places it in a unique diplomatic position amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Speaking to ANI in Mumbai after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stubb said the two leaders held extensive discussions on global conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine and rising 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 expanded beyond localized 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, urging de-escalation.
Stubb added that even when countries try to stay out of conflicts, global repercussions are unavoidable—affecting oil prices, trade and maritime routes—and said the current situation “is not looking good.”
Emphasizing India’s balanced foreign policy, he said the country can maintain ties with multiple sides. “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.
On the war in Ukraine, Stubb called Russia’s invasion 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 noted India’s relationships with Russia, Ukraine and the United States position it to remain diplomatically engaged.
Discussing Iran, Stubb said recent counterattacks increased regional risk. “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 US policy under Donald Trump, Stubb said fears of isolationism 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 for de-escalation in West Asia.
Looking ahead, Stubb expressed 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.
He reiterated support for India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council, arguing global institutions must reflect contemporary 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 security policy, Stubb said the decision to join NATO was driven by security concerns after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said legislative updates aim to align 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, adding Finland seeks to participate in NATO’s nuclear planning structure as part of deterrence. (ANI)
