Finland’s foreign affairs minister, Elina Valtonen, has raised concerns about the security threat posed by Russia during a visit to Ireland.
On the first visit by a Finnish foreign affairs minister to Ireland since 2017, and her own first time in the country, Valtonen met Tánaiste Simon Harris to discuss European security and defence.
In Dublin, Valtonen says: “The most important topics from our point of view would definitely be the security situation in Europe, when it comes to Ukraine as well. Looking at our trade relationship with the United States certainly is one topic.
“But also, of course, our very good bilateral ties. The trade between the two countries of ours, but in general how to empower Europe more. I think now is the time.”
Finland joined Nato in April 2023, with neighbouring Sweden following closely behind in March 2024, bringing the current number of member states to 32. As her country approaches two years in the western defensive alliance, Valtonen says that the psychological shift at home has been minimal.
“In a sense the psychological change wasn’t that large. I guess also there’s a tiny difference between Finland and Sweden in this regard because Sweden really have identified themselves as being neutral.
“And Finland, especially ever since we joined the EU, we didn’t consider ourselves as neutral, plus we were very strongly co-operating with Nato ... to the extent that our military was 100 per cent interoperable with Nato the day we joined.”
I guess like everybody else in the past 20-30 years in Europe, we thought that maybe now Russia finally is becoming for democracy
Finland and Sweden’s move leaves Ireland more isolated within the EU on the issue of military neutrality; it is now one of four EU member states who don’t have Nato membership, with Austria, Malta and Cyprus. This week Cabinet signed off on proposals to scrap the triple lock for troop deployments, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin saying he could not allow Russia to have a veto over Ireland’s peacekeeping missions.
Asked whether Finland could offer Ireland any unique insights, given its recent official departure from neutrality, Valtonen reflects on the countries’ differing “geographic situation”, pointing to Finland’s “very long border with Russia”.
“We don’t think that we’ve been neutral in the past 30 years,” she says. “Finland has always invested very heavily into its own defence but also into defence partnerships, defence collaboration with our closest partners such as Sweden, because we never were under the illusion that Russia perhaps no longer is a threat.
“I guess like everybody else in the past 20-30 years in Europe, we thought that maybe now Russia finally is becoming for democracy, respecting human rights and everything. We engaged with Russia in trade and politics just like everybody else, but at the same time we kept investing into our defence because we knew that the day might come that it’s needed.”
Speaking about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has impacted Finnish affairs, Valtonen notes the importance of border control.
“For more than a year now, we have kept our eastern border closed because Russia started to organise instrumentalised migration against our border a year and a half ago.
“Of course it does affect some people, some families, but very little business in that respect that most Finnish companies had already left Russia, actually since they illegally took Crimea in 2014, and now especially, ever since the full-scale invasion started,” she says.
Valtonen speaks about the necessity for “peace through strength” in negotiating a lasting peace deal for Ukraine.
“I think the course that Europe and the EU has been on, and thus far also with our American friends has been the right one so in order for us to be able to achieve durable lasting peace, not just for Ukraine but for the rest of Europe, there has to be peace through strength,” she says.
“I think if we had the patience to just continue on this track, aid Ukraine maybe even more intensely than we’ve done in the past and then intensify the sanctions pressure we would be in a completely different place already six months from now.
“Certainly this can’t go on forever, although unfortunately we have experienced that the Russian leader doesn’t show any regard for human life so I guess he would be happier to continue than the western or the civilised world in a sense, because for us of course every person counts. As far as I know, President Zelenskiy is extremely concerned about the casualties.”
In advance of International Women’s Day, Valtonen reflected on her experience working in politics. Finland has pioneered women’s representation in politics as the first European country where women gained the right to vote.
“I’ve been all my life in male-dominated worlds. I started off as a programmer, I’ve been in finance and in tech companies so I guess it’s something I’ve been used to.
“I think there has been tremendous progress especially in the last 10, 15 years in politics,” she says. “Women, us female foreign ministers, we have many gatherings of our own and we have [become] very good friends with each other. This diversity that starts to come into politics, not just based on sex but many other elements as well, is of tremendous value.
“Women and men are perhaps judged a little bit differently. I’m not claiming that it’s much easier for men either, it’s just different. Of course for women, your looks define quite a bit always how you are seen.”
Following her engagements in Dublin, Valtonen travelled to Belfast to deliver the annual Harri Holkeri lecture at Queen’s University, where her topic was Peace Mediation in the Age of Geopolitical Contestation.
