'India will be our next superpower': Finnish President backs New Delhi's entry into UN Security Council

(FILES) Finland President Alexander Stubb listens as US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on October 09, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Calling India a “rising pillar of global power,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said that the country is on its way to joining the United States and China as one of the world’s next superpowers. He also warned that the United Nations will continue to lose relevance unless India is made a permanent member of the Security Council.

Speaking on the sidelines of a global policy forum, Stubb described India as a “strategic actor” shaping the world’s political and security landscape. He praised New Delhi’s ability to balance competing global interests through what he called a “multi-vector foreign policy” that reflects confidence and strategic depth.

“I am a great admirer of India and I think India will be our next superpower, right up there with the United States and with China. Whether it’s Prime Minister Modi or Foreign Minister Jaishankar, what India is doing now reflects strategic thinking that commands global respect,” Stubb said.

UN reform must include India

The Finnish President, a long-time advocate of multilateral reform, urged that the United Nations Security Council must expand its membership to remain relevant in today’s world.

“I have said this in the General Assembly twice now. I want the UN Security Council to be expanded. Its membership should be at least doubled. It is wrong that countries like India are not in the Security Council,” he said.

He proposed that a restructured Council should include one member from Latin America, two from Africa and two from Asia, arguing that multilateralism cannot survive without inclusivity.

“If players like India don’t feel they have agency or skin in the game, the institution is going to continue to weaken,” Stubb warned.

India’s role in global stability

Highlighting India’s growing global footprint, Stubb said New Delhi has become indispensable to the world’s stability, growth and technological progress.

“What India does matters to the world,” he said, adding that Finland views India as a key partner in building a cooperative and rules-based international order.

Reiterating his belief in a stronger, more inclusive global governance system, the Finnish leader said, “I believe in multilateralism. And for multilateralism to work, India must be inside the system, not outside looking in.”