January 17, 2026
PM Sanna Marin
Europe’s Next Generation
We examined the future of a changing Europe with Finland’s trailblazing former prime minister who boldly redefined her nation’s role on the world stage.
“Even though Ukraine is still in war, they are actually building their country every single day. They are reconstructing, they are working for a better future, they are applying for European Union membership…Even though there is still an incredibly difficult situation in Ukraine, there is hope.”
Prime Minister Sanna Marin
Europe’s Next Generation
January 17, 2026
“We won’t give up our values for a 10% tariff.”
Hours after President Donald Trump announced a 10% tariff on eight European nations to pressure Denmark into selling Greenland, former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin delivered a defiant response from the stage of The Richmond Forum.
Her remarks captured the evening’s central theme: values-based leadership as a defense against rising global authoritarianism.
Trump’s plan, announced earlier that day, threatens to increase the tariff to 25% if a deal isn’t reached by June 1. Finland was among the targeted nations.
Marin, who served as Finland’s prime minister from 2019 to 2023 and led the country into NATO membership, warned that today’s geopolitical conflicts are challenging the international rules-based order established after World War II. “If there are no rules that we can all rely on, then we are all in jeopardy,” she said.
Marin’s appearance coincided with the inauguration of Virginia’s first female governor, Abigail Spanberger. When asked to offer advice, Marin emphasized the importance of trusting one’s values and standing strong in one’s vision. “Do what you came to do,” she said. “You have the opportunity to use power, so use it.”
“We have to be strong. We have to show that we stand behind the values that we believe in, that we stand behind the democratic principles that we believe in.”
– Sanna Marin
Democratic nations need leaders who understand core values like democracy, justice, rule of law, and human rights, she remarked.
“None of us here want to see a future that we’ve seen in the past,” Marin said. “Only if you have the understanding of those core values, then you can form a vision for a better future that would be prosperous, a future where every child can become anything.”
Marin acknowledged that smaller nations like Finland have historically relied on collective defense arrangements like NATO, but the current situation demands greater European investment in defense.
“If we want to stay independent and free, if we want to have democratic values in the future, we need to be able to defend ourselves,” she said. “It has been unfair for U.S. citizens to carry the financial burden of European defense. It’s about time that we take care of our own backyard.”
Marin made an impassioned case for continued Western support of Ukraine, calling it NATO’s “strongest asset.”
“They are the only European country that has the experience of modern warfare,” she said, noting how Ukrainian forces have revolutionized military tactics through drone technology. When the war began, conventional wisdom held that destroying a tank required another tank — an expensive proposition. Ukrainian innovation proved otherwise.
“We have actually seen that the best way to demolish a tank, and to be able to survive warfare, is with drones,” Marin said. “Ukraine is building amazing drones, and they are innovating every day because they are on the battlefield.”
She emphasized the mutual dependence between Ukraine and NATO allies, as Russia also learns and adapts daily. “We need Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs us,” she said.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine is simultaneously rebuilding and pursuing European Union membership, she said. “Even though there is still an incredibly difficult situation in Ukraine, there is hope.”
Marin closed with a story from childhood. As a 9-year-old, she led classmates in protesting the removal of a forest next to their school. Sadly, they failed, and the trees were cut down.
Rather than accepting defeat, every student and teacher planted a sapling on school grounds. More than 30 years later, a new forest stands.
“There is always hope when there is action,” Marin said.
Continuing the Conversation
What’s the difference between hope as passive optimism and hope as active engagement? How does this distinction apply to current global challenges?
What does “values-based leadership” mean to you in practice? How do leaders balance core principles with political or economic pressures?
Marin describes Ukraine as NATO’s “strongest asset” because of its battlefield experience and innovation. How does framing Ukraine’s value in strategic terms (rather than humanitarian or democratic terms) affect your thinking about Western support?
Finland consistently ranks as the world’s happiest country, but Marin clarifies this means contentment rather than cheerfulness. How do you define happiness? Is contentment a more realistic or valuable goal than joy?
“Ms. Marin was both passionate and clear-eyed, conveying both a deep knowledge and an urgency regarding Ukraine and the challenges in Europe and globally. Living on a border with Russia lent a unique and stark view into Putin that as Americans we tend to see as disconnected from us. She was refreshingly realistic while also conveying hope. A timely reminder of how essential honest and focused leadership is.”
– Subscriber Survey Comment
About Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin served as the prime minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023 and is the former leader of the country’s Social Democratic Party. Appointed at age 34, Marin became the youngest serving prime minister in the world when she took office in 2019. She quickly gained international attention for her composed and collaborative leadership style, and she remains a vocal advocate for human rights, civil rights, and democracy.
During her tenure, Marin led Finland through several defining global and domestic challenges. Her government was widely praised for its effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in limiting loss of life and mitigating economic disruption. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she played a central role in shifting Finnish public opinion and political will toward NATO membership, guiding the country through the fastest accession process in the alliance’s history.
Marin’s administration also advanced a number of progressive reforms, including groundbreaking climate legislation that aims for carbon neutrality by 2035, an equitable family leave policy that shares paid time off between both parents, and structural improvements to public health care, education and LGBTQ+ rights.
In September 2023, Marin joined the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as a strategic counselor, where she advises political leaders on governance, technology, climate, and gender equality programs.
Her memoir, “Hope in Action,” was released this November.
Marin holds a master’s degree in administrative sciences from the University of Tampere and an honorary doctorate from New York University.
Additional Resources
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Now is the time for Europe to show strength, not division, argues Sanna Marin
The Economist
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Never say never: Sanna Marin’s warning to Europe on tech, populism and her career ambitions
“Power Play” podcast, Politico
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Finland Has Officially Joined NATO. Here’s Everything You Need to Know.
TIME Magazine
Marin on the next generation of Leaders
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