Finnish President Alexander Stubb has congratulated his future US counterpart Donald Trump on his re-election.
Stubb posted his congratulatory message in English and Finnish on social media platform X on Wednesday.
"I look forward to working closely with you and your administration on the major challenges of our time. Finland and the US are close allies on so many fronts, including security, technology and business," Stubb wrote.
The Finnish president has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday evening.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) commented on the election to Yle around 9am, after the watching the results since 3am.
"Since the president and the presidential party are changing, there will certainly be adjustments. I don't believe that there will be any dramatic or major changes from Finland's point of view," Orpo said, but stressed that, regardless of the election result, Europe must prepare better for the future.
"I have been saying for a long time that Europe must take a bigger role. We cannot count so much on US support. Of course, the United States has other interests," the PM said.
"Peace must be attained on Ukraine's terms"
Orpo further noted that Finland has sought to build an extensive bilateral relationship with the United States, including the DCA defence agreement signed last December.
"Our relationship with the US is becoming deeper and more concrete all the time, and this creates a strong foundation," he said.
Trump has declared that the war in Ukraine can be ended quickly. In Orpo’s view, peace must be achieved in Ukraine, but not under any conditions.
"Peace must be attained on Ukraine's terms," he said. "We have our own experience from history that if the big ones agree over [others'] heads, it is not in the interest of a small or independent nation, and hopefully this will be kept clearly in mind when a peace agreement is possibly made."
Niinistö: Look beyond the tough talk
Former president Sauli Niinistö, who met with Trump multiple times, struck a cautious note in regard to the possible ramifications for Nato and Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Niinistö commented to Yle about Trump’s assertion that he will end the war in Ukraine quickly.
"I haven't seen a detailed plan on the matter, if there is one. Rather, that will have to be considered after we see what he is really going to do," Niinistö said.
In regard to Nato, the former president urged a focus on Trump's actions rather than his words.
"As for the Nato relationship, it has become clear that Trump is not an enthusiastic participant in international organisations. In his last term, however, despite the tough talk, the United States' investment in Europe, and specifically in Nato, increased," Niinistö said.
Opposition leaders call for more European responsibility
The opposition leader, SDP chair Antti Lindtman, expressed the hope that after the US election, "the country will gradually move away from excessive polarisation and the escalation of negative campaigning, and that the US political system will heal".
In a post on X, Lindtman wrote there is a reason to be prepared for more protectionism in trade policy. Like Orpo, Lindtman said that Europeans must take greater responsibility for their security.
Opposition Centre Party chair Antti Kaikkonen echoed the same view, writing on X that: "the continuation of cooperation between the United States and Europe is important. The election result also means that Europe must take even more responsibility for its own security," the former defence minister said.
A "bad dream"
Another opposition party leader, Sofia Virta of the Greens, also took to X, to refer to Trump’s re-election as a "bad dream," adding that "the well-founded fear of what this means for example for support for Ukraine, women's rights, the environment, minorities, exports and democracy is palpable".
She called for Europe to "unite in supporting Ukraine, strengthening competitiveness and pushing the US to continue working for the rights of women and minorities despite Trump's victory".
Meanwhile a study published on Wednesday indicates that Trump garnered 30 percent more mentions in the Finnish media this autumn compared to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The consulting firm Retriever found 13,103 mentions of Trump in Finnish editorial media since the beginning of August 1, compared to just 10,078 for Harris.
5.08pm: Added Niinistö comments.
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