Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland, was just 34 years old when she took office as the Nordic nation’s leader in 2019. She was the youngest head of state in the world at the time.
Since then, her young leadership skills have been put to the test in ways that others twice her age have never experienced, such as managing a world-changing epidemic and fighting to contain an aggressive neighbor in Russia when it invaded Ukraine.
In an interview with 60 Minutes reporter Sharyn Alfonsi this week, Marin stressed the importance of Ukraine winning the conflict. Marin added that if they do not, it sends a signal that nations like Russia may attack another country and profit from it.
She said that as a consequence, partners in Europe and the West must do every effort to provide Ukraine with what it needs.
They are fighting for all of us and standing up for all of our ideals, according to Marin.
Marin also advised Alfonsi to avoid being naive about the increasingly aggressive actions of authoritarian nations outside of Europe. She suggested that ending Finland’s reliance on nations like Russia for energy as a means of achieving this.
In order to become less reliant on authoritarian regimes than we now are, Marin added, “We have to make sure that we are also creating that sort of strategic autonomy along with our allies like the United States.”
Prime Minister of Finland on advantages of youthful leaders | 60 Minutes 03:23
Another advantage for the little Nordic nation is that it helps Finland contribute to the fight against climate change.
Marin said that immediate action was required to combat climate change. We don’t have any extra time.
Marin said that nations need leaders from many generations to address concerns like climate change and the loss of biodiversity worldwide.
The younger generation, in Marin’s opinion, “can truly appreciate how critical many of the challenges that we are facing are,” she added.
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