Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho (Finns) fears that we may already be in World War III, but warns we may not realise that "because we're trying so hard to avoid it".
"If we don't know whether we're at war, it's always best to assume that we are," Halla-aho said in an interview in the Turku daily Turun Sanomat.
Ignoring the facts will lead to bigger problems, he warned.
According to Halla-aho, in the light of contemporary thinking, the start of World War II is seen differently than how contemporaries saw it.
"I think it is safest to assume that it (war) will come in the future. The assumption makes us prepare, and preparation reduces the likelihood of war," Halla-aho told the newspaper.
His comments echoed a statement last Sunday by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who asserted that "Sweden is not at war. But it's not at peace either," citing hybrid attacks and "proxy wars".
Russian defeat more important than Ukrainian victory
Halla-aho argued that defending and helping Ukraine should be a higher political priority. He said that the war in Ukraine should receive more attention in Finnish politics than it currently does. The Speaker of Parliament said that Finland must more clearly define its goal and then invest in that.
Last summer, Halla-aho raised eyebrows with his comment that Finland should be "quieter" about its support for Ukraine.
In his view, Russia's defeat is more important than Ukraine's victory. A Russian victory would send the wrong message to "rogue states" that the high price of imperialist adventure is worth paying, because Western countries will ultimately run out of economic and material capacity.
"I personally see the biggest danger in Russia not losing this war or achieving any of its goals with this war," said Halla-aho, who has been Speaker since mid-2023.
"If we make statements accepting the idea that Russia might receive some kind of reward for this war, in Russian ears that will only be considered as a starting point for negotiations," he added.
The former Finns Party chair has a PhD in Slavic Studies and speaks Russian and Ukrainian fluently, having worked at the Finnish Embassy in Kyiv in the 1990s. In late 2023 he made a speech in Ukrainian to the Parliament in Kyiv after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented him with a medal of honour.