'We're going to lose this game': Finland President warns US on alienating India
Stubb's warning echoes concerns from American experts that Trump's policies have alienated New Delhi.
- Sep 3, 2025,
- Updated Sep 3, 2025 1:31 PM IST
Finland's President Alexander Stubb has warned that the West risks losing the global contest for influence if it fails to engage India and other countries of the Global South with "a more cooperative, more dignified foreign policy."
"This is directly linked to the ongoing competition for a new world order. We've seen that the post-Cold War era is over. I actually think that the tipping point was the beginning of Russia's war of aggression, full-scale on the 24th of February 2022. And this has led to a jostling of power at the same time a weakening of multilateral institutions, rules and norms," Stubb said when asked about the SCO summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
He said China and Russia are pushing the idea of multipolarity as a model for peaceful coexistence and cooperation, but disagreed with that approach. "The narrative put forward from countries in the global east, namely China and Russia, is that multipolarity will provide the solution for a peaceful coexistence and global cooperation. I disagree with this approach. I think multilateralism is the best way to drive cooperation forward," Stubb said.
On the SCO, he added: "What we saw with the Shanghai Cooperation group is what we have been seeing on the sidelines for a longer time. There's an attempt to undermine the unity of the global West. And my message is not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, that if we don't drive a more cooperative, more dignified foreign policy with especially the global south, the likes of India, we're going to lose this game. So I think this meeting in China on Sunday and Monday is a good reminder to all of us in the global west what is at stake. We're trying to preserve the remnants of the old order. And that's what it's all about."
Stubb's warning echoes concerns from American experts that Trump's policies have alienated New Delhi.
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Trump had "shredded" decades of US efforts to draw India closer to the West by slapping tariffs and crediting himself for easing India-Pakistan tensions. "Trump whacked India with another 25%. Did not tariff Russia. Did not tariff China, the largest purchaser of Russian oil and gas," Bolton said, calling India “incandescent” over Trump’s claims.
Mary Kissel, a former US State Department adviser, argued that India remains indispensable for Washington. "If we are really serious about considering Communist China the greatest threat to the United States and our way of life, we need India. It’s just a fact. We can’t fight them alone in the Asia-Pacific," she told Fox News.
Finland's President Alexander Stubb has warned that the West risks losing the global contest for influence if it fails to engage India and other countries of the Global South with "a more cooperative, more dignified foreign policy."
"This is directly linked to the ongoing competition for a new world order. We've seen that the post-Cold War era is over. I actually think that the tipping point was the beginning of Russia's war of aggression, full-scale on the 24th of February 2022. And this has led to a jostling of power at the same time a weakening of multilateral institutions, rules and norms," Stubb said when asked about the SCO summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
He said China and Russia are pushing the idea of multipolarity as a model for peaceful coexistence and cooperation, but disagreed with that approach. "The narrative put forward from countries in the global east, namely China and Russia, is that multipolarity will provide the solution for a peaceful coexistence and global cooperation. I disagree with this approach. I think multilateralism is the best way to drive cooperation forward," Stubb said.
On the SCO, he added: "What we saw with the Shanghai Cooperation group is what we have been seeing on the sidelines for a longer time. There's an attempt to undermine the unity of the global West. And my message is not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, that if we don't drive a more cooperative, more dignified foreign policy with especially the global south, the likes of India, we're going to lose this game. So I think this meeting in China on Sunday and Monday is a good reminder to all of us in the global west what is at stake. We're trying to preserve the remnants of the old order. And that's what it's all about."
Stubb's warning echoes concerns from American experts that Trump's policies have alienated New Delhi.
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Trump had "shredded" decades of US efforts to draw India closer to the West by slapping tariffs and crediting himself for easing India-Pakistan tensions. "Trump whacked India with another 25%. Did not tariff Russia. Did not tariff China, the largest purchaser of Russian oil and gas," Bolton said, calling India “incandescent” over Trump’s claims.
Mary Kissel, a former US State Department adviser, argued that India remains indispensable for Washington. "If we are really serious about considering Communist China the greatest threat to the United States and our way of life, we need India. It’s just a fact. We can’t fight them alone in the Asia-Pacific," she told Fox News.