Ruto state visit to Finland to cement expanding ties on global reform, mediation

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is received by President William Ruto at State House on May 12, 2025/PCS

President William Ruto is set to undertake a state visit to Finland this month in yet another diplomatic engagement expected to consolidate a fast-evolving ties between Nairobi and Helsinki.

Finland President Alexander Stubb told the Star in Helsinki that the reciprocal visit, coming just a year after his visit to Nairobi, is testament to the strengthening of diplomatic ties.

“That [Nairobi state visit] was a good beginning,” Stubb said.

“President Ruto will be here on a state visit in June. So we will take stock of where we are [on the status of the signed agreements and discussions in Nairobi]. It's quite unusual, actually, to have state visits in one year, in one country. So I think the relationship is very good.”

He added that the visits signal a global outreach, and particularly to the Global South. Additionally, he said, his starting point is that the Global South is going to decide whether the world tilts towards multipolarity or multilateralism.

“Therefore, I want to forge good relations with key countries in the Global South, and if you look at the African continent, without making a pecking order, I have been to Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. We continue working together,” he said.  

“So I look forward to hosting President Ruto here in in the beginning of June.”  

Stubb noted that Kenya and Finland the ties are anchored on political dialogue and sustainable development, while the two capitals share positions on reforming the global order.

Between May 12 and 14 last year, President Stubb conducted a historic state visit to Kenya, marking the first-ever visit by a sitting Finnish head of state.

During the visit, the President was accompanied by a large business delegation that met their Kenyan counterparts at the Kenya-Finland Business Forum.

Stubb said his country was committed to fostering “trustworthy and transparent partnerships”, adding that “Finland is a partner you can trust”.

Coincidentally, the visit coincided with the commemoration of 60 years of diplomatic relations.

During that particular visit, the two countries signed a series of agreements covering political consultations, peace mediation, renewable energy cooperation, sustainable development and education.

Both sides also committed to closer coordination on regional and global geopolitical challenges, including instability in the region.

The engagement with Kenya is part of Finland’s broader strategic diplomatic offensive that seeks to strengthen partnerships beyond traditional Western alliances and engage more directly with African states as co-creators of global governance solutions.

Central to this approach is a shared emphasis on reforming multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and international financial systems.

Stubb reiterated his long-standing position that existing global governance structures reflect a post-Second World War order that no longer corresponds to contemporary geopolitical realities.

The structures include including the UN Security Council, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation.

“These institutions were created 80 years ago in a different world,” he said. “Their power structures remain skewed towards the West, and they need reform to reflect today’s global distribution of power, especially to give more voice to the Global South,” he said.

Ruto has similarly positioned himself as an advocate for reform of the international financial architecture, particularly on issues of debt sustainability, climate financing and development funding for emerging economies.

He hosted the Africa-France Summit, which aimed to push the agenda at the upcoming G7 meeting in Évian-les-Bains, France on June 15-17.

It thus means that Ruto’s attendance of the summit will be preceded by the Helsinki state visit.

The Helsinki-Nairobi partnership also reflects a growing convergence on climate and energy cooperation.

Finland has positioned itself as a leader in clean technology, renewable energy systems and circular economy innovation, while Kenya continues to expand its geothermal, wind and solar energy capacity as part of its green transition agenda.

During Stubb’s visit to Nairobi, both governments emphasised collaboration in sustainable development, education exchange programmes and institutional capacity building, with a focus on youth innovation and skills development.

Another key pillar of cooperation is peace mediation and conflict resolution. Finland has long promoted mediation diplomacy as part of its foreign policy identity, a tradition linked to former President Martti Ahtisaari’s legacy in international peace processes.

Stubb has sought to extend this approach by promoting multilateral reform initiatives and encouraging dialogue-based solutions to global conflicts.

Kenya, for its part, has increasingly positioned itself as a regional diplomatic hub in East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. It has played a role in mediation efforts in Sudan, Somalia and the DRC, while also hosting international peace and security dialogues.

The upcoming state visit is expected to provide a platform for reviewing implementation of the agreements signed during Stubb’s Nairobi trip, while also exploring new areas of cooperation in trade, digital innovation, climate financing and multilateral diplomacy.

It also comes at a time of heightened global geopolitical fragmentation, with conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and parts of Africa reshaping global security dynamics and exerting pressure on energy markets, food systems and inflation.