Half of Finns Do Not Trust the U.S. As Ally
Fence on the border of Finland and Russia, X/ @delfoo
March 5, 2025 Hour: 12:13 pm
The Trump-Zelensky meeting at the White House influenced the perceptions of the Finns.
On Wednesday, Finnish newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus published a survey showing that half of Finland’s population does not trust the United States as an ally.
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The poll revealed that only 30 percent of Finns trust the U.S. as a reliable ally for Finland, while 20 percent remain uncertain. The survey also highlighted stark political differences in opinion.
Supporters of the right-wing populist Finns Party expressed the highest level of trust in the U.S., with 56 percent answering “yes” to the question and 29 percent responding “no”. Conversely, supporters of the Green Party and the Left Alliance were the most skeptical, with up to 70 percent saying they do not trust the U.S. as an ally.
A total of 1,011 people aged 18 to 79 participated in the survey, which was conducted between Feb. 28 and March 4, a period during which a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House ended in an argument.
Previously, on Sunday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb ruled out countries bordering Russia sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if the warring parties reach a ceasefire.
“The UK and France have committed to maintaining some kind of troop presence in Ukraine. But countries that share a border with Russia have a responsibility to defend NATO on that border, so their contributions will be different,” he said after attending a meeting in London with several international leaders.
Convened by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the meeting was aimed at supporting Ukraine and addressing issues related to European security, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in attendance. Stubb stressed that the attendees reached complete unanimity on three issues related to the situation in Ukraine.
“The first aspect on which we all agreed is that the goal is to end the war and build a fair peace in which the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is respected,” Stubb said.
There was also consensus on continuing to offer Ukraine military, political and financial support so that kyiv can come to peace negotiations in a position of strength vis-à-vis Russia.
The third aspect on which there was complete agreement was the need to develop a peace plan of its own, under the leadership of Ukraine, the United Kingdom and France and supported by a group of voluntary countries, including those attending the London meeting.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Xinhua – EFE
