President Stubb: Estonia has a special place in our heart

President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, accompanied by his spouse Sirje Karis, paid a state visit to Finland on 28-29 April 2026. President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb received the Estonian presidential couple at an official welcome ceremony on Tuesday 28 April at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

The visit focused on deepening bilateral relations between Finland and Estonia, strengthening cooperation in security and defence technologies, and promoting cultural cooperation.

"For us Finns, Estonia has a special place in our heart. We are historically, culturally and linguistically tied in so many ways. And our cooperation is deepening all the time," President Stubb said during the joint press conference.

According to the President, the cooperation is both strategic and concrete, and the two countries have greater influence when acting together. The current security situation in the Baltic Sea region has intensified Nordic-Baltic cooperation and the NB8 framework. "Our energy infrastructure is shared, and we are protecting it together. In the event of a crisis, communication is instantaneous both at the civil service level and between leaders."

The narrative around the war of aggression needs to change

President Stubb argued that the narrative surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine needs to shift. "If you look at the past four months, Ukraine has actually been performing much better than Russia. Instead of assuming that Ukraine needs Europe, perhaps we should consider that Europe may, in fact, need Ukraine even more. It is the largest, the most efficient, and the most modern military in Europe."

On Tuesday, the programme included a luncheon hosted by Mayor Daniel Sazonov at Helsinki City Hall, a visit to Parliament and a meeting with Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, as well as a meeting with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Prime Minister's official residence Kesäranta.

In the afternoon, the presidential couples visited the Oodi Central Library in Helsinki. President Stubb and President Karis discussed literature and reading in front of an audience and later read excerpts from books to pupils from Latokartano Comprehensive School.

The first day of the state visit concluded with a state banquet hosted by President Stubb and Mrs Innes-Stubb at the Presidential Palace.

Culture and security on Wednesday's agenda

On Wednesday morning 29 April, President Karis and his spouse laid wreaths at the Hietaniemi Cemetery and the Old Church Park in Helsinki. Then, the presidential couples visited the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma.

After that, the presidents participated in a Finnish-Estonian business event focusing on security and defence technologies.

The programme also included a visit to the National Defence University in Santahamina, where President Karis delivered an address entitled Defending Tomorrow Together: The Baltic Sea Region in a Stronger Europe. The speech was followed by a panel discussion on security and resilience and a Q&A session with students.

In the afternoon, the two presidents and their spouses visited Aalto University in Espoo for a presentation of the university's satellite laboratory, as well as a demonstration of the Aalto Ice and Wave Tank, designed to test ships and other maritime structures in ice conditions.

The state visit concluded on Wednesday evening with a reception hosted by President Karis and his spouse at the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki.

Also participating in the state visit were Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur; Member of the Riigikogu and of the Estonia-Finland Friendship Group Henn Põlluaas; Member of the Riigikogu and of the National Defence Committee Mati Raidma, as well as sizeable delegations from the business and cultural sectors.

During the visit, the spouses had a separate programme in addition to the joint programme. Mrs Innes-Stubb and Mrs Karis visited the IPI Kulmakuppila café, the Ateneum Art Museum, and at the premises of the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation and SOS Children's Villages were briefed on their activities.

President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb paid a state visit to Estonia in 2024.

• Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb at the state banquet at the Presidential Palace in honour of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Estonia on 28 April 2026