Finnish President Stubb calls the current era an 'age of darkness' and compares it to 1918, 1945 and 1989

Speaking at the College of Europe in Bruges, Alexander Stubb said that the post-Cold War era is over and the world is going through a turning point comparable to the end of the world wars and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He urged students not to give in to pessimism.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 27 October 2026 at 05:442 min read

The key facts

Stubb compared the current moment to the turning points of 1918, 1945 and 1989
He said the number of conflicts is growing and trade, energy and technology are becoming instruments of pressure
Life.ru previously reported on his conversation with Zelensky in Oslo — citing its own report, without independent confirmation

Speech in Bruges

President of Finland Alexander Stubb said that the world has entered an 'age of darkness' and is going through a historic turning point comparable to the events of 1918, 1945 and 1989 — the end of two world wars and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He said this at the opening ceremony of the academic year at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, as reported by Life.ru.

What he said

According to Stubb, the era that began after the end of the Cold War is over, and the world order is undergoing serious changes. 'In a sense, I began my studies in an age of light, and you are beginning your studies in an age of darkness,' he told the students, explaining that 30 years ago the future looked noticeably more optimistic. The Finnish leader listed signs of what is happening: international rules are increasingly being violated, the number of armed conflicts is growing, and trade, energy and technology are becoming instruments of political pressure. Referring to the book by American philosopher and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, 'The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness,' Stubb nevertheless urged the younger generation not to give in to pessimism and expressed hope that it would be the one to return the world to an 'age of light.'

Context of the negotiation topic

Separately, Life.ru previously reported that Stubb had allegedly warned Volodymyr Zelensky of possible trouble in the event of a missed chance for a peaceful settlement. According to the outlet, the conversation took place in Oslo, where Zelensky took part in talks with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff; after the meeting, Stubb said that the parties had managed to agree on individual elements of a possible peace settlement. This report is based on Life.ru's own account and is not supported by independent sources in the publication; the article about the Bruges speech itself also cites the Italian outlet L'Antidiplomatico with the claim that the EU was forced to ask for a seat at the negotiating table on Ukraine.