Finnish President Alexander Stubb made an unannounced visit to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump for informal talks focused on Arctic cooperation and international security, including plans for the development and purchase of icebreakers for the U.S. fleet.
The meeting, which included breakfast, a round of golf, and lunch, marked a rare diplomatic engagement between the two leaders outside official state channels. It also underscored Finland’s growing role in Arctic affairs and defense cooperation following its 2023 accession to NATO.
“President Stubb and I look forward to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Finland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, highlighting joint efforts to build “badly needed Icebreakers” and bolster “Peace and International Security for our Countries, and the World.”
In addition to Arctic infrastructure, the leaders reportedly discussed global security issues, including the war in Ukraine. Stubb had hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Helsinki just days earlier.
The Finnish president’s office confirmed the visit was informal and unscheduled, with no advance public notice. Trump was joined at the meeting by Senator Lindsey Graham, who praised Stubb’s golf skills, noting his college athletic background at Furman University in South Carolina.
The meeting came as Vice President JD Vance faced backlash for remarks made during a trip to Greenland, accusing Denmark of failing to protect the Arctic island. The Trump administration has renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, a position that has repeatedly drawn sharp criticism from Danish and Greenlandic leaders.
In an NBC interview over the weekend, Trump reignited the controversy by stating he would “never take military force off the table” regarding Greenland but insisted a peaceful resolution was preferable.
Asked about the international consequences of such a move, Trump said, “I don’t really think about that. I don’t really care.”
Finland is widely regarded as the world leader in icebreaker technology, with around 80% of all icebreakers designed by Finnish firms and 60% built domestically. In November, Finland joined Canada and the U.S. in signing the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, an initiative to jointly develop advanced polar vessels for Arctic and Antarctic operations.
The U.S. currently has limited heavy icebreaking capacity, a strategic vulnerability in the rapidly warming Arctic. Trump has prioritized expanding the U.S. fleet to match growing Russian and Chinese capabilities in the region.
The Stubb-Trump meeting is being viewed by analysts as a symbolic boost to U.S.-Nordic ties at a time of deepening geopolitical tensions in the Arctic.
