Finland’s Alexander Stubb has floated “sauna diplomacy” with the aim of defusing the Greenland crisis with the US
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said he could invite US leader Donald Trump to a sauna to try to ease political tension over Greenland.
Stubb made the remark in an interview with the Washington Post on Monday during the World Economic Forum in Davos. He suggested employing a traditional Finnish approach to problem-solving, arguing that forging a relationship in an informal setting can be “quite useful diplomatically.”
“Sometimes it’s good to slow down, go to sauna, take a nice bath, and then find a solution,” he said. When asked if he could convince Trump to join him, Stubb quipped, “From golf diplomacy to sauna diplomacy, why not?” The mention of golf was a reference to his unofficial visit to Florida in March 2025, where he played a round with Trump.
Sauna diplomacy is an established tradition in Finnish statecraft, used to create a neutral and relaxing setting for frank discussions.
Stubb previously suggested in 2025 that Trump and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky should “steam in the sauna” together days after a public spat between them, though it is unknown if they did.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who is also in Davos, cast doubt on the notion.
“Stubb’s primitive approaches (golf, sauna…) do not work. Strategic thinking, partnerships and focus on peace do,” he wrote on X on Tuesday. Dmitriev arrived at the forum to meet the American delegation for talks on Ukraine and economic cooperation.
The suggestion comes amid a heightened transatlantic crisis. Trump has publicly pushed for the US to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark, citing national security. After European leaders uniformly rejected the idea, Trump threatened to impose major tariffs, starting February 1, on several EU nations, prompting preparations for countermeasures.
