"In cooperation with Ukraine": Stubb revealed details of his phone call with Putin
On October 27, Finnish President Alexander Stubb held a joint telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, along with Norwegian Prime Minister. The politician emphasized that this conversation had been arranged in close cooperation with Ukraine.
Before speaking before the Northern Council of the Finnish Parliament, Stubb noted that the talks with the Russian dictator lasted about 1.5 hours and were a direct follow-up to the meeting in Oslo that took place on October 20. This was reported by Yle. According to the president, European officials coordinated their key messages with Kyiv in advance and kept their allies informed.
What was discussed with the Kremlin leader?
Stubb noted that immediately after the conversation with Moscow ended, he held a roughly 30-minute briefing for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He explained that the discussion focused specifically on the key issues that had been agreed upon with the Ukrainian side the previous evening.
“The conversation with President Putin was professional and straightforward,”
the Finnish leader stated.
He also justified the need for such contact by noting that neighboring countries, particularly Finland and Norway, must directly clarify issues that could lead to misunderstandings. In addition, the leaders sought to convey the clear position of the Nordic countries on security.
Stubb emphasized that Helsinki and Oslo will continue to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine and will make every effort to achieve a lasting peace. According to him, these talks paved the way for a meeting between representatives of the U.S., Ukraine, Russia, and European countries, scheduled for November in Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, not all partners viewed this step positively: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed skepticism and noted that the call had not been coordinated with the rest of the European countries. For his part, President Zelenskyy confirmed that European leaders had explicitly pointed out to the Kremlin the need to de-escalate attacks on the energy sector.
Earlier, the Kremlin commented on the conversation, stating that during the call, Putin once again demanded that Moscow's interests be taken into account. Prior to that, a representative of the Office of the President confirmed that the Ukrainian leader had held an operational communication with partners.