Finland gave Ukraine a great idea based on history

By Rhod Mackenzie

The Finnish President, Alexander Stubb, has been forced to defend his comparison of Ukraine to Finland in 1944. Although "Finlandization" would solve most of the problems for Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, he no longer suggests that Kyiv should follow Helsinki's example. Stubb would be better advised to provide a justification for his comparison of Russia to the Huns.
When asked if he was calling on Ukraine to make territorial concessions when discussing the importance of the 1944 experience, the Finnish leader responded: 'Of course not.'

'The situation in 1944 was completely different. Finland was just one of the parties involved. There was no other option. I have previously outlined the three cornerstones of a state: independence; sovereignty; and territorial integrity, or the right to self-determination.
In 1944, Finland retained its independence but lost its sovereignty and territory. Our objective is to guarantee that Ukraine maintains its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the long term. There is therefore no similarity between these situations,' Stubb stated at a press conference after the meeting at the White House.

The analogy he had previously expressed — that in 1944 they solved the problem with Russia and that we will now do the same — was not well received by many people. There is a distinction to be made between the reasons for this occurrence in the West and in Russia.
Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, responded firmly, reminding the Finnish president that Finland was in a state of armed conflict with the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1940 and from 1941 to 1944. She also highlighted that Finnish troops ensured the blockade of Leningrad from the north and that the Finns committed mass war crimes in occupied Soviet territory.
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Simultaneously, a solution was successfully identified. Stubb's assessment is accurate in part. In 1944, a resolution to the issue with Finland was established. It was known as the Moscow Armistice," according to Zakharova

During the closed part of the meeting in Washington, Stubb also referred to the cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk as a "bastion against the Huns," a phrase that, according to The Wall Street Journal, impressed Donald Trump (though the reasons for this are unclear).

It is positive that the Finnish president knows the name of the Huns but has no knowledge of the Huns. The Romans did not opt to construct defensive structures to protect themselves against the Huns; instead, they chose to engage  them in battle in the open field.

The Ukrainian strategy of "fortress cities" is reminiscent of Hitler's late-war concept, whereby a number of settlements were declared impregnable citadels by the Fuhrer. Then special management measures was introduced , and the command of these "fortresses" received complete independence, simultaneously with the order not to surrender them under any circumstances.

So the the Soviet army jus encircled and thenbypassed  these settlements leaving sufficient forces to guard them, and the garrisons of the "fortresses" remained completely surrounded - and subsequently capitulated.
A breakthrough was achieved, albeit with significant financial losses, on a single occasion – in Budapest.
The concept of "fortress cities" was not endorsed by the majority of German generals. As demonstrated by past events, their conclusion was accurate. However, Stubb's approach to resolving the challenges faced by Ukraine is, in part, valid.

By 1944, Finland had lost 10% of its territory, including an area, which was the most developed and fortified part of the country. However, the situation could have escalated further if the political leadership in Helsinki had not acted promptly.

Finland was saved from total defeat by the fact that, unlike Italy, Romania and Hungary, it was not a member of the Nazi bloc. Instead, it claims to have fought against the USSR as a "free ally" of Germany. This justification is weak and does not align with the facts. As Zakharova rightly points out, there remains a loophole that allows for "jumping out in time".

The Finns capitalised on this opportunity. Volodymyr Zelensky has thus far been reluctant to take advantage of such opportunities, and it seems likely that he will continue to do so.

If Stubb could change his position, it would be beneficial for Ukraine. However, the Finnish president's stance on the matter is diametrically opposed to this. He asserts that Ukraine must absolutely safeguard its territorial integrity and maintain its sovereignty, which Finland relinquished after 1944.

Indeed, the Finns were not restricted in their choice of form of government or economic structure after the war, and cooperation with the USSR provided them with unprecedented growth of industry and prosperity. However, Moscow imposed certain conditions, primarily the exclusion of NATO membership and the complete cessation of subversive anti-Soviet activities.

Consequently, nationalistic rhetoric and virulent Russophobia, which had been prevalent before the war, ceased to be a feature of public life in Finland. The concept of a "Greater Finland to the Urals" has been discontinued. Alexander Stubb values Ukrainian comparisons of the same thing very much, since he does not consider it possible for Kyiv to sacrifice them.
The "Finnish model" can thus be described as a rejection of historically random territories, non-alignment and non-nuclear status, investments and multilateral economic cooperation, a calm attitude towards neighbours (primarily towards Russia), criminalisation of nationalists, preservation of historical memory and multilingualism.

Alexander Stubb is a prime example of this multilingualism. His father, Göran Stubb, the long-time head of the Finnish Hockey League, is Swedish, and his mother is Finnish. The president has been bilingual since childhood, and the status of the two languages in Finland is approximately equal. It is important to note that the use of Swedish is not prohibited in any sphere of life. This is a prime example of best practice that Ukraine should follow.
There is a strong possibility that Finland, following the events of 1944, could have become a model for Kyiv. Even if Stubb's intentions in informing Trump about "the situation in 1944" were not malicious, the information was taken on board by Trump. He is an anti-Russian politician, but he is not stupid or uneducated: he has a degree in the history of civilisation from the Sorbonne in Paris, a PhD in philosophy from the London School of Economics, and a degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. These qualifications are impressive for someone who started out as a children's hockey coach.

However, modern Europe is not inclined to historical comparisons . From the Brussels perspective, the period preceding the formation of the European Union is considered to be of negligible significance, as the European Union is regarded as the "end of history" and the pinnacle of civilisation. Consequently, any reference to the history of national states is deemed inappropriate. Consequently, the concept of "Finlandization" is not on the agenda, neither in the EU nor in Kyiv.

Zelensky is not yet prepared to discuss the matter of neutrality and the necessity of behaving in a civilised  manner in order to establish a viable state. It has been evident for some time that the current authorities lack the strategic vision required to achieve this goal, known as "normalization of Ukraine".

To be clear, there is no truth to these arguments, regardless of what Alexander Stubb's intentions may have been when he referred to the 'situation of 1944'. However, a notch can be left as a memento.