'Not like Russia & China': Finland President hails India as 'emerging superpower'; sends message for the West

NEW DELHI: Finland's President Alexander Stubb recently distinguished India from Russia and China, calling New Delhi an "emerging superpower" and urging Western countries to engage more closely with it.In a Bloomberg Podcasts interview, Stubb was asked about his view on the growing alignment between India, Russia and China. He pushed back firmly saying, "India is a very close ally of the European Union and of course of the United States as well, so I wouldn't throw them in the same basket.""India is an emerging super power. It got demography, it got economy on its side. I always argue that it's very important for the West to engage India, work with them," he added.By contrast, the Finnish leader noted the deep and asymmetrical partnership between Moscow and Beijing claiming that "he wouldn't throw India in the same basket.""I think, of course, Russia and China have a direct connection. In the early 1990s China and Russia had economies of the same size, but now China is over 10 times bigger. And actually, with its oil purchase, with its gas purchase, with its technological exchange, it does give the possibility for Russia to conduct the war, so there's a very close link there," he noted.This is not the first time Stubb has urged greater engagement with India on global security issues. Earlier, at the Helsinki Security Forum 2025, he had underlined India’s stake in helping resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict."I've been speaking to PM Modi recently about the situation in Ukraine. India has a geopolitical stake here. So we need to get them involved," he told delegates."First, we need a ceasefire; only then can we begin peace negotiations. We also need a formal date for a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin and only after that Zelenskyy can reach out to Putin by phone to discuss on what the agenda could possibly," he added.Stubb has also attended multilateral forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were present.He later remarked that the camaraderie displayed at the event reflected long-brewing shifts in global alignments.Stubb's engagement with India goes beyond global security. Earlier in August, he held a phone call with PM Modi, where both leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral ties. According to the ministry of external affairs (MEA), Stubb shared his assessment of recent meetings between European, US and Ukrainian leaders in Washington on resolving the Ukraine crisis.PM Modi also reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and a peaceful resolution. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in frontier sectors such as quantum technologies, 6G, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and sustainability.The MEA further noted that Stubb backed a swift conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, under negotiation for several years, and expressed support for the success of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in 2026. PM Modi has invited Stubb to visit India soon, with both leaders agreeing to remain in close touch.