Alexander Stubb has worked hard to be Donald Trump’s best pal in Europe. A seasoned expert in foreign policy and EU affairs, the Finnish president, 57, has drawn on his diplomatic experience to carve out an informal role as Europe’s envoy to Mar-a-Lago — and Trump’s interpreter to the continent. A former triathlete and tireless political schmoozer, Stubb has even taken to the links to bond with the U.S. president over their shared pastime: golf. 

His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Stubb personally over the summer for helping “build a connection” with Trump. And when Europe’s top leaders rushed to Washington last summer after a Trump-Vladimir Putin summit in Alaska largely seen as a win for the Russian leader, Stubb was there too — seated alongside the heads of the EU’s biggest countries and NATO’s secretary-general. 

Stubb’s outreach comes at a pivotal moment for his country. Elected president in early 2024, he took office just as Finland joined NATO and found itself on the alliance’s front line with Russia. That frontline reality sets him apart from other self-styled Trump whisperers. As president, Stubb is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces as well as its head of foreign policy. Finland’s president has also traditionally played the role of intermediary between East and West, with his predecessor Sauli Niinistö speaking to Putin. Stubb has taken a different path, however, not publicly engaging with the Russians.  

A former prime minister and veteran of Brussels politics, Stubb blends Eurocratic polish with Nordic pragmatism — and he knows that, for Finland, keeping Trump engaged in Europe’s defense is a matter of survival. Stubb has an existential stake in keeping the American president engaged: Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia. He’s also played advocate for Trump in Europe, reassuring skeptical leaders that the U.S. president is prepared to wield the “stick” against Putin. 

His interactions with Trump are lower on theatrics and higher on substance than those of the U.S. president’s other European “friends” who have often failed to secure anything of tangible value. Stubb’s mediation hasn’t spared Kyiv from disappointment: Ukraine still hasn’t secured Tomahawk cruise missiles, and Trump’s new promises to swiftly end the war have again proven hollow. And yet there’s no denying that Stubb has secured an outsized influence for his country in Washington and Europe, even getting a deal to supply the U.S. government with 11 Finnish-built icebreaker ships. 

Check out the full POLITICO 28: Class of 2026, and read the Letter from the Editors for an explanation of the thinking behind the ranking.