Finland's Defense Minister Rules Out U.S. Greenland Attack
In remarks to Ilta-Sanomat, Hakkanen emphasized that America's economic and political dominance rests entirely on alliance networks built through decades of political trust—a foundation that could crumble with a single misstep.
"All allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are watching extremely closely how allies are treated in different parts of the world. If something unusual were done to any allied country within any network, it would have serious ripple effects on the United States' overwhelming advantage over China. China does not have a similarly reliable global alliance network like the United States does," Hakkanen stated.
The Finnish official expressed cautious approval of heightened US Arctic security investments but stressed that sovereignty issues involving Danish territories remain Denmark's exclusive jurisdiction.
Trump has persistently advocated for seizing control of Greenland—a self-governing region under Danish sovereignty—and has refused to exclude military intervention as an option. Following a US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, Trump on Sunday reiterated demands for Greenland's acquisition, citing national security imperatives.
Hakkanen reinforced the imperative of upholding international law and self-determination principles regarding Venezuela after Maduro's capture by American forces.
"Maduro was a dictator and did not have a mandate from his people. At the same time, international law and the right to self-determination should be respected. That is absolutely clear," Hakkanen said.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the Venezuelan intervention would significantly alter Russian or Chinese strategic calculations.
"Neither (Russian President) Putin nor, before him, the Soviet Union has regarded international rules as much of a constraint. Great powers have tended to act in whatever way best suits their interests. History repeats itself in that the entire Cold War was based on balances of power, not balances of rules," Hakkanen added.
Hakkanen underscored Europe's ongoing responsibility to maintain US engagement in continental security frameworks and Ukrainian peace negotiations, asserting that Washington would honor its commitments despite recent Venezuelan developments.
"Ukraine will not collapse in the next couple of years. On the battlefield, Vladimir Putin is not going to achieve his objective, but if tougher sanctions are not imposed, I am not very confident that Putin will stop," he said.
The defense minister issued stark warnings about underestimating Russia's military capabilities and unpredictability.
"They are prepared to take absolutely enormous risks and to make even insane miscalculations. We constantly have to be prepared for Russia to come up with something completely incomprehensible," he explained.
Hakkanen clarified that no immediate direct threat exists currently, while cautioning that war risks could escalate if the bloc neglects defensive reinforcement measures.
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