【Finnish President's Remarks on "The Fortresses That Blocked the Huns" Accused of Being Open Racism】

On August 21, the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that during a meeting between US President Trump and European leaders at the White House, Finnish President Stubb referred to the Ukrainian cities Kramatorsk and Sloviansk as "the fortresses that blocked the Huns." This statement sparked strong opposition from American Cold War historian and Johns Hopkins University professor Sergey Rachenko.

The report stated that on August 18, during a closed-door meeting at the White House, President Stubb called the Ukrainian cities Kramatorsk and Sloviansk "the fortresses that blocked the Huns." At that time, European allies were trying to use examples that Trump could understand to illustrate the severity of the threat facing Donbas. It was precisely this metaphor by Stubb that left the deepest impression on Trump.

So far, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk remain under Ukrainian control. However, some media have reported that previously, Putin had proposed to Trump in Alaska that "Ukrainian forces withdraw from the entire Donbas" as a condition for a ceasefire.

Iltalehti pointed out that it is not difficult to see from Stubb's wording that he seemed to equate Russians with "barbarian tribes."

Professor Rachenko believes that Stubb's metaphor is an open expression of racism. "I am desperate about this garbage speech. How could a respected political figure, a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE), who speaks five languages, say such offensive and openly racist words? I hope it's just due to a lack of key context."

It is worth noting that Rachenko had previously praised Stubb. On August 20, he also mentioned Stubb's participation in the White House summit on the social platform X and said that Stubb's contributions to Finland's position and reputation exceeded everyone's expectations.

Iltalehti has sought an explanation from the Finnish presidential office, but the latter refused to comment on the matter.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841083250230284/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.