Finnish President Alexander Stubb made an unexpected visit to the United States on Saturday, where he met with US leader Donald Trump in Florida. During the informal meeting, they discussed the strategic partnership between the two countries and also played a round of golf,Reuters reports .
Diplomacy on the golf course
“President Stubb and I look forward to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Finland, including the procurement and development of the many icebreakers America needs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The leaders had breakfast together, played golf, and then had lunch. They discussed not only bilateral cooperation but also international issues, including the situation in Ukraine. Last week, Stubb met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Helsinki.
The Finnish side stressed that the visit was informal, and Trump himself met with Stubb at his golf club in West Palm Beach.
Golf, politics and the Arctic
The Trump team was joined in the golf tournament by Senator Lindsey Graham, who praised Stubb’s golf skills. The Finnish president used to play golf while studying at Furman University in South Carolina.
Trump and Stubb’s meeting took place against the backdrop of Washington’s increased attention to the Arctic. The day before, US Vice President J.D. Vance made an unauthorised visit to Greenland, which caused diplomatic tensions. Vance accused Denmark of failing to guarantee the island’s security.
Trump, in turn, has repeatedly expressed a desire to acquire Greenland, which has drawn criticism from Denmark and the local population.
Finland, which has the EU’s longest border with Russia, has dramatically changed its security policy after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and joined NATO along with Sweden.
