Finland President Alexander Stubb has cautioned the West, particularly the United States, against neglecting the concerns of the Global South, warning that countries like India could drift further towards the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) if a more respectful and cooperative foreign policy is not adopted.
Speaking alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Stubb said the West risks “losing the game” to the SCO if it fails to engage constructively.
“My message to you, my European colleagues, and particularly to the US, is that if we don’t engage in a more cohesive and dignified foreign policy, especially with regard to Global South countries such as India, we will lose,” Stubb told reporters.
He pointed to last week’s SCO summit in China — attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin — as a reminder of shifting global power dynamics. “I think this meeting in China (the 25th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council) is a good reminder to the Global West of what is at stake. We are trying to preserve the remnants of the old order,” he said.
According to Stubb, the SCO is actively working to “weaken Western unity.” His warning comes as trade tensions between India and the United States escalate, following President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil.
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The Finnish leader, who has maintained a personal rapport with Trump — strengthened during a seven-hour round of golf at the US President’s Florida resort earlier this year — urged Washington to reassess its approach.
Last week, Stubb also held a phone call with PM Modi to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. He shared his assessment of recent meetings in Washington involving European, US and Ukrainian leaders on possible resolutions to the conflict.
India-US trade tirade
The trade dispute between Washington and New Delhi deepened after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian exports, stacking an additional 25 per cent duty on top of existing levies. He accused India of financing Moscow’s war effort by continuing to buy Russian oil.
Union Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed the allegation as “baseless”, stressing that all of India’s energy dealings with Moscow were transparent and legitimate.
At the SCO summit in China this week, PM Modi described Russia as a “special partner” and echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to frame international relations around partnerships rather than rivalries.
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