The ministers' dilemma: Abyssal rift
Maria Malmer Stenergard
"We must contain Russia for a generation"Niclas Vent
Published 17.13
LIDINGÖ. Sweden and Finland remain – but the US has moved on.
On three crucial points, Trump has blown up an abyssal rift between the countries.
- There should be no trade barriers between friends, says Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
No words of praise remained unused, no words of praise were left to be handed out.
When the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland met on Lidingö today, it was for a sometimes almost exaggerated manifestation of friendship.
Our countries are each other's most important partners and share values, interests and priorities – that is what Maria Malmer Stenergard and Elina Valtonen wanted to convey.
– Very often you find yourself agreeing 100 percent with what the other has said. It makes my life much easier, says Elina Valtonen.
Regardless of whether it concerns support for Ukraine, the threat from Russia or the importance of free trade, there is total agreement.
The rift between the Nordic countries and the US
But today, the clamour for unity served most to highlight a deeper and more important truth:
That the world's most powerful country no longer agrees.
On several fundamental issues, the rift between the Nordic countries and the US is now abysmal.
Take Russia.
While the US votes with Russia in the UN and makes concessions without getting anything in return, Sweden's Foreign Minister says that Russia will remain a threat for the foreseeable future:
- We must pursue a policy to limit Russia militarily, politically and economically for a generation, or more, says Maria Malmer Stenergard.
While the US and Russia are sitting at the same negotiating table, Finland's Foreign Minister says that no European should currently even consider a phone call to the Kremlin.
The issue of trade
It would lead to nothing more than a repetition of the same old Russian demands.
- These are very maximalist demands, not only on Ukraine, but also on the rest of Europe, says Elina Valtonen.
Take the issue of trade.
While the US is erecting tariff walls against the entire world, Elina Valtonen describes how free trade can allow us to avoid the choice between armament and welfare:
– To invest in security and defense, we need growth. For growth, we need innovations, more capital, a freer market economy and more trade, says Elina Valtonen.
– Entering a global trade war is the surest way to achieve a global recession, if not something even worse.
“An existential question”
Finally, take the issue of democracy itself.
That is what Trump’s tariffs and contempt for allies ultimately challenge.
– A world where we can trade freely with our partners and allies puts our core values – democracy, the rule of law, human rights – in a better position for the future. Fundamentally, it is very difficult to defend these values if we do not have a strong economic base to back them up. So we need to do more with each other, says Elina Valtonen.
– It is an existential question, not only for Finland, but for the whole of Europe. Do we want to continue to have a free, democratic society built on human rights and the rule of law, or do we want to be subjugated by a power that is anything but that?
She is referring to Russia in the last sentence.
– The Kremlin's appetite does not disappear when you feed it. It grows. History shows us that Russia does not follow any agreements and cannot be trusted, says Elina Valtonen.
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