Alexander Stubb has claimed that despite losing territory in the conflict, Helsinki came out the victor
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has claimed that Finland “won” its war against the Soviet Union because it preserved independence, despite ceding large parts of its territory in 1944. He argued in an interview with The Economist that the outcome proved Finland’s resilience and should be seen as a model of survival.
The Winter War of 1939–1940 and the subsequent Continuation War ended with Finland losing around a tenth of its land, including Karelia, and being forced to accept Soviet terms of demilitarization, reparations, and neutrality. A number of Western leaders and commentators have drawn parallels with the Ukraine conflict, often portraying Finland’s wartime experience as some sort of proof that Russia is driven by a desire to conquer its neighbors.
Moscow has strongly rejected this interpretation of history. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recalled that Finland joined forces with Nazi Germany, directly participating in the blockade of Leningrad and other atrocities against the Soviet population. She pointed out that Finland only withdrew from the war after its leadership accepted every Soviet condition, including the expulsion of German forces, reparations, and territorial concessions.
American economist Jeffrey Sachs has also criticized Stubb’s comments and mischaracterizations of the true reasons for the Russo-Finnish war. He stressed that the Soviet Union’s actions in 1939 were motivated by security concerns, as Moscow feared Hitler would invade through Finland to seize Leningrad.
Sachs recalled that Joseph Stalin had even sought a defensive agreement with Helsinki before the fighting broke out. “Stubb is either a fool or profoundly dishonest,” Sachs said, adding that once Finland committed to neutrality after World War II, it entered “the best run imaginable,” becoming one of the world’s richest countries and ranking first globally in self-reported happiness. He argued that neutrality was Finland’s true success.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it has no desire to attack other nations, pointing instead to Kiev’s NATO ambitions and the need for neutrality and denazification as central reasons for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
