How the spirit of Finland’s sauna diplomacy lives on outside the sauna

Finnish sauna diplomacy has long been both a point of pride and a lifeline for Finland’s foreign policy. President Alexander Stubb carries the spirit of sauna diplomacy forward—with one small change: he can’t actually do it in a sauna.

To understand how the spirit of sauna diplomacy lives on, we first need to recognize its key features from the past. And yes, before you ask, there are saunas installed in Finnish embassies around the world. These facilities are both symbolic and practical extensions of the legacy often associated with former President Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986). He was famous for hosting diplomatic meetings in his sauna, offering a more relaxed and open environment for serious talks.

Kekkonen holds a special place in Finnish history for his diplomatic efforts that preserved Finland’s sovereignty and neutrality in the shadow of the Soviet Union—largely through personal relationships with Soviet leaders. Relationships cultivated with the help of quality sauna time.

A relaxed hot sauna really was the much-needed antidote to the stiff Cold War. Tense discussions in a relaxed setting? Naked men stripping away the layers of complex situations? A refreshing lake to plunge into when the heat becomes too much? Sauna diplomacy is nothing short of brilliant.

And it didn’t end with the Cold War. As mentioned, the sauna area is still a proud part of every self-respecting Finnish embassy. Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Martti Ahtisaari (1937–2023) is even said to have used the sauna as a setting for peace talks. But what role does sauna diplomacy play in 2025?

Today, Finland is no longer neutral—not as a member of both the EU and NATO. Sauli Niinistö, who served as Finland’s president from 2012 to 2024, continued the Finnish tradition of keeping relations with Russia amicable—until he didn’t. When Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border, Finland took the final step away from neutrality. Having gradually moved westward since the fall of the Soviet Union; Finland finally joined NATO.

Happy ending, then? Can Finland now relax under NATO’s nuclear umbrella? Finland is no longer squeezed by a great power. Or is it? Finnish diplomacy remains characteristically Finnish. When it came time to sever ties with Russia, Finland secretly sent a delegation—not to Moscow, but to Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Joe Biden was president at the time, but the Finnish delegation also wanted Donald Trump’s blessing—just in case of a future return to the White House. Trump is known for being relational. He’s also made it clear that he’s not someone you want to be on bad terms with. For Finnish diplomacy, none of this was new. The art of staying on good terms with a powerful and unpredictable neighbor is precisely the diplomatic craft that was perfected in the sauna.

Americans, however, are more prudish than Russians. You don’t disarm an American president in a sauna—you make him uncomfortable. The sauna in the Finnish embassy in DC stands diplomatically useless. So, after long and loyal service, is it finally time for sauna diplomacy to bow out?

President Alexander Stubb has shown that an old diplomatic tradition can live on—but it just can’t take place in a sauna anymore.

In March, Stubb visited the U.S. for an unofficial meeting with Trump. The visit included a round of golf. Stubb is known for being athletic and golf is part of his repertoire, he even medaled in the Finnish junior golf championships in 1986. Trump was impressed by Stubb’s skills and boasted in a Truth Social post that the two had won a championship together at Trump’s golf club during the diplomatic visit.

That day, the two presidents spent seven hours together. As personal ties deepened, so did international ones. By the end of the day, Trump had promised to buy icebreakers from Finland.

That day, Finnish sauna diplomacy found its new form. The unpredictable neighbor that once loomed in the east now stood in the west—and still had to be kept on good terms. The tense discussion had a new relaxed setting. There were no naked men, yet the suits were off.

That day, Stubb stepped into the shoes that every Finnish president has worn for decades. If this continues, he will carry on a long held Finnish way of diplomacy.

Of course, golf diplomacy isn’t new. For Finland though, golf diplomacy has become the new sauna diplomacy. Trump has made it more relevant than it’s been in years. A case in point: when his election victory and return to the White House became clear, the president of South Korea reportedly took up golf again—after an eight-year break. Golf diplomacy is back.

Trump is often accused of disrupting the world order that Europe, in particular, had grown comfortable with since the end of World War II. But Finland isn’t used to geopolitical comfort. The old tools still work surprisingly well—they just need to be adjusted for today’s world.

The spirit of sauna diplomacy lives on at the golf course. Stubb has simply traded the sauna ladle for a golf club.