Former Finland's Prime Minister calls for isolating Russia at Impact'24 congress

Russia should be cut off from the international community. We must demonstrate that attacking sovereign, independent countries does not pay off, said Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland, during her speech at the Impact'24 congress in Poland.

Sanna Marin is one of the most prominent politicians of the younger generation. She served as the Prime Minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023. When she assumed office in 2019, she was 34 years old, making her the youngest prime minister in the world.

She quickly earned a reputation for being decisive and effective, especially considering that she governed the country first during the pandemic and then during the war in Ukraine.

During her leadership, the Marin government implemented many progressive reforms in Finland, including ambitious climate regulations aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, a family leave reform that equally distributes paid leave between both parents, and reforms improving healthcare, education, and human rights.

At the start of the discussion, the former Prime Minister of Finland was asked about the events of May 15. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an attack on Wednesday.

What happened yesterday is absolutely terrifying. We all feel and share the Slovaks' pain. We wish the Prime Minister a swift recovery. When we look at what is happening in the world, we see that the value order is being undermined by authoritarian countries, as exemplified by the war in Ukraine, said Sanna Marin.

"Is the free world doing enough for Ukraine?" asked Marta Poślad, who was leading the discussion.

We are not doing enough, and we are not acting quickly enough. They need more heavy weaponry, air defense systems, and ammunition. An important question is also the issue of financial aid. What will happen to frozen Russian assets? Russia should bear a heavy cost for what has happened. Russia should be cut off from the international community. We must show that attacking sovereign, independent countries does not pay off. We, as Europeans, cannot allow Russia to win. If Russia wins, we are in for years of war. Then it will be Moldova, the Western Balkans, said the former Prime Minister of Finland.

Marin believes that Europe must do everything possible to become independent from authoritarian countries as much as possible.

We must strengthen our own innovations, we must invest primarily in people and education. This is how we will be able to achieve this goal, argued the former Prime Minister of Finland.

The Impact'24 congress is one of the most important socio-economic events in Central and Eastern Europe. It takes place in Poznań and focuses, among other topics, on economic and technological innovation. It involves over 6,000 participants.

For two days, participants on nine stages could listen to a total of 650 speakers.

This year, among other speakers, former First Lady of the USA Michelle Obama will also speak in Poznan.