The president of Finland supports the country’s choice to buy weapons from Israel and not recognize the Palestinian state

Alexander Stubb, President of Finland, said that his country’s choice to buy weapons from Israel despite the war in Gaza had nothing to do with the fact that Finland does not want to accept a Palestinian state as independent right now.

Israel’s David’s Sling is a ground-based, high-altitude missile defense device that Finland is buying. Due to Russia’s ongoing missile strikes on civilian and military targets in Ukraine, Helsinki sees the system as a very important part of its own defense.

Stubb became prime minister of Finland in March. He has called their new approach to foreign policy “values-based realism.” He said it is about “achieving things in the world as it is” instead of “promoting only the world how I want to see it.”

Reuters talked to Stubb on Tuesday, and he said that now was not the right time to declare a Palestinian state, even though its Nordic neighbors, Sweden, Iceland, and most recently Norway, have already done so.

“In the case of Israel and Palestine, values-based realism is prevalent in our thinking on the recognition of Palestine in the sense that we want that recognition, not if, but when it happens, to have an impact towards a two-state solution and a peaceful solution,” he added.

It was “a matter of time” for Finland to recognize a Palestinian state, Stubb told Finnish officials last month. He said that the right time would be chosen strategically to promote peace in the Middle East.

He said the choice had “nothing to do with” the deal to sell weapons to Israel.

“In that one, I only look at what’s realistic, which means I only think about why we need those weapons.” This is when I look at Finnish safety.”