The cost of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin covered by Finnish authorities amounted to 10 million euros (11.66 million U.S. dollars), Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on Tuesday.
The two heads of state held a lengthy bilateral talk and a joint press conference in Helsinki on Monday. Sipila told news service Uutissumalainen that the spending was "worth it".
The cost was met initially by the respective ministries and the presidential office, but a supplementary budget will be submitted to the parliament, if necessary.
The foreign ministry spent up to one and a half million. Head of press services Vesa Hakkinen told Uutissuomalainen that the free food offered to journalists at the media center cost a "six-digit-figure".
The quality and abundance of the food at Finlandia Hall buffets amazed many journalists. Comparing the hospitality of hosts, an international defense writer told Xinhua that he "had to queue up to get coffee and bread" at the NATO summit last week.
Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat noted in its editorial that "the memory of the quality care given to journalists may linger longer in the minds of the writers than the substance of the summit." Alcohol was even served to journalists free of charge during Sunday night when the final of FIFA world cup 2018 was shown on the screens in the media center.
The bulk of the ten million euros is the price of the security services. In Finnish contracts, overtime is costly and changes in the fixed working schedules lead to hefty penalties the employers have to pay.
However, the visitors paid their own cost when booking hotels and renting equipment or services. With the announcement of the summit, room rates initially skyrocketed but came down later. Those who booked fast to secure accommodation paid more than late bookers, local media said.
