News of US President Donald Trump's recent call to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin initiating peace talks in Ukraine, was a big topic of discussion during Finnish Parliament's question hour on Thursday evening.
Tabloid Iltalehti reported that Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) answered multiple questions on the call's potential implications for Finland, Europe, and Ukraine.
According to Orpo, Trump's call to Putin was expected, but said it is "absolutely clear" that peace cannot be built in Europe without European participation.
"The initial discussions have been concerning for Finland, Europe, and Ukraine."
The PM said Trump tends to talk a lot but called for calm and patience, emphasising that the path to peace in Ukraine would be a long process.
Orpo reiterated that the US is a key partner for Finland, urging continued cooperation while also stressing the importance of clearly stating Finland's stance on Russia's aggression.
Orpo said Europe's message must be one of supporting Ukraine militarily and financially until peace is achieved. He pointed out that EU's economy is more than 10 times the size of Russia's.
"It's time for Europe to wake up."
Orpo said he spoke to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday.
Orpo also told IL he would attend the Munich Security Conference, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise. He said he made the decision to do so after recent events that "changed the situation significantly."
Meanwhile Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) took to messaging platform X to offer her comments on Trump's call to Putin, tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported.
"Take it from us: Putin has no intention to stop his expansionist pursuit. He will enter talks, enjoy the limelight, and take whatever he possibly can without making any genuine concessions," she wrote.
Trapped in bad relationships
A survey conducted by Danske Bank reveals that as many as one-third of Finnish women feel they lack the financial means to leave their relationship if they wished to, reported Helsingin Sanomat.
The study, titled Lasikatto lompakossa (Glass ceiling in the wallet), found that women in Finland were more likely than men to feel financially trapped in their relationships. According to the survey, 33 percent of women and 26 percent of men believed they do not have the financial means to separate if they wanted to.
Overall, 30 percent of respondents in relationships shared the concern, a figure that has remained steady since 2022.
Kaisa Kivipelto, an economist specialising in personal finance at Danske Bank, advised that both partners in a relationship should have their own savings for greater financial independence.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for Danske Bank, collected responses from around 2,000 people via email in January 2025. It had an average margin of error of about two percentage points in either direction.
The All Points North podcast explored strategies for tackling the cost of living, including tips on reducing electricity costs. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Valentine's Day Scams
Mobile operator Telia has issued a warning about criminals exploiting Valentine's Day in their scams, as AI-assisted frauds are becoming more common in Finland, tabloid Iltalehti reported.
"Earlier this year, we saw AI-generated Finnish-language voice messages, where the voice mimics that of a familiar company leader. These messages might be sent to work messaging apps," Henry Kylänlahti, Chief Information Security officer at Telia Cygate.
Valentine's Day could be particularly prone to such scams. Kylänlahti explained that even amid the flurry of well-meaning messages and marketing emails, it's crucial to remain vigilant, both in personal and work communications.
"Valentine's Day is likely to attract scam attempts in the name of managers, whether by phone, email or social media. If your boss suddenly wants to pay your bonus ahead of schedule, it's worth ringing an alarm," Kylänlahti said.
If a suspicious message arrives on a work phone, he advised that it would be best to confirm whether it came from the person it claims to be from — in person, or with another messaging app.
The cyber security boss also encouraged people to promptly report suspected work-related scam messages to their organisation's security team.
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