HELSINKI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Recent U.S. actions and rhetoric are increasingly being viewed in Europe as a drift toward power politics that could put close partners such as Finland in an awkward and potentially costly position, Finland's Helsingin Sanomat warned in an editorial published on Friday.
The paper cited what it described as a string of aggressive U.S. moves, including an attack on Venezuela and the seizure of oil tankers at sea, saying they have shaken confidence in Washington's respect for international law and unsettled European allies.
"From the European perspective, the actions violate international law," the daily wrote, adding that sudden U.S. policy twists create acute challenges for smaller countries such as Finland.
Against that backdrop, U.S. talk of taking Greenland from Denmark is now being taken seriously in Europe, the paper said, even prompting concerns about the possibility of a military operation.
The editorial said Washington could advance its military and economic interests in Greenland under the current arrangements or, if needed, through negotiations. It argued that any move toward an occupation would therefore be driven less by practical necessity than by a desire to expand U.S. power, a course it warned would come at the cost of serious damage to relations with allies.
For Finland, the situation is particularly delicate. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Finland has tied its security more closely to the United States through North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership and bilateral defense cooperation. Tensions could emerge, however, if U.S. actions collide with Finland's core interests, including Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland, the paper said.
The editorial pointed to Finland's planned icebreaker cooperation with the United States as one area where the stakes could rise. Under the arrangement, the first deliveries are expected in 2028. But the paper warned that a darker scenario could unfold if Washington were to embrace an imperial approach in the Nordic region, noting that Finnish-built icebreakers could also have military uses.
In October 2025, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation during talks in Washington. Stubb has said the overall deal is worth about 5.2 billion euros (6.1 billion U.S. dollars). The United States plans to procure 11 new icebreakers for its Coast Guard, with four to be built in Finland. The deal has been seen as a rare bright spot amid Finland's difficult economic outlook.
"Now we must prepare for an even darker development, in which the U.S. heads to the Arctic regions not for security purposes, but for imperialist conquest. In that case, Finland would be in an extremely difficult situation," Helsingin Sanomat wrote.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.
"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our NATO allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," Valtonen said, as Washington has framed the Greenland issue in Arctic security terms. ■
