Finland: A Perspective from NATO's Unquiet Frontier | Battlegrounds w/ H.R. McMaster

In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Kai Sauer discuss the war in Ukraine, Finland’s priorities in the areas of defense and the economy, digital and energy security, and the future of Europe and the transatlantic relationship, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

Insights from the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Security Policy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland shed light on European security and the transatlantic relationship from the perspective of Finland. Reflecting on Finland’s position as a U.S. ally, strategic partner and new member of NATO, Mr. Kai Sauer assesses the strategic value Finland brings to the Alliance, the country’s key security concerns including Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine, Finland’s priorities in the areas of defense, the economy, digital and energy security, and the importance of the US sustaining commitments in Europe in defense of our common values.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Mr. Kai Sauer is currently the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Security Policy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since June 2019. Previously he served as the Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations (2014-2019), and as the Ambassador of Finland to Indonesia, Timor-Leste and ASEAN (2010-2014). Mr. Sauer has worked for the Finnish Foreign Ministry for nearly 25 years and served also in Croatia, Kosovo, Austria and the US. He has held several senior UN positions. He has been appointed as Finland’s next Ambassador to Germany, taking up his post in Berlin later this year.

H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Battlegrounds provides a needed forum with leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy. Each episode features H.R. McMaster in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”

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0:00 - 5:10 : Introduction
5:11 - 8:14 : Perspective on European Security
8:15 - 15:14 : Political Process + Policy in Finland + Strengths (NATO)
15:15 - 19:16 : Security Concerns in Finland
19:17 - 23:19 : Best Practices: Scaled in the United States
23:20 - 27:01 : What did Finland do differently
27:02 - 30:12 : Russia’s next steps in aggression against Ukraine
30:13 - 34:15 : What is happening inside Russia + Power shift
34:16 - 40:52 : Priority for future: NATO + EU
40:53 - 49:16 : Skeptical concern overseas + Ending