Finnish President Alexander Stubb made a surprise trip to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida, where they discussed strengthening the bilateral partnership and played a round of golf.
Trump expressed enthusiasm for enhancing cooperation, mentioning the purchase and development of much-needed icebreakers for the U.S. as part of delivering peace and international security.
The two leaders had breakfast, played golf, and shared lunch, during which they also addressed foreign policy issues, including the situation in Ukraine.
Stubb's visit was informal, as confirmed by his office. Trump had arrived at his Mar-a-Lago estate before heading to his golf club in West Palm Beach for a tournament. Senator Lindsey Graham joined the meeting and praised Stubb's golfing abilities, noting his experience playing golf at Furman University in South Carolina.
This meeting followed Vice President JD Vance's uninvited visit to Greenland, a territory of Denmark, where he criticized Denmark's efforts to maintain security. Trump has shown interest in acquiring Greenland, amid increasing international focus on Arctic control, despite Denmark's and most Greenland residents' opposition.
In an NBC News interview, Trump stated he would not rule out military action to achieve his goal regarding Greenland but also believed it could potentially be done peacefully. When asked about the implications of acquiring Greenland for relations with Russia, he dismissed concerns.
Finland is the world's leading producer of icebreakers, with Finnish companies designing about 80% of them and around 60% built in Finnish shipyards. In November, Canada, Finland, and the Biden administration signed the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort to enhance Arctic icebreaker development through shared resources and knowledge.
Before his visit, Stubb expressed hopes of using icebreaker diplomacy to strengthen relations with the U.S. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland shifted its foreign policy from military non-alignment to joining NATO alongside Sweden, highlighting concerns about regional security amid Trump's criticisms of NATO and attempts to normalize U.S.-Russia relations, which have prompted some European nations to increase their defense spending.