Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that during a phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on 27 October, he delivered two messages from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Stubb, at the Ukrainian president’s request he conveyed Kyiv’s readiness for a bilateral leaders’ meeting to discuss territorial issues and security, European Pravda reports, citing Yle.
The second message concerned de-escalation measures and achieving a ceasefire in key areas such as energy, food security, prisoner exchanges and infrastructure, Stubb said.
The Finnish president also noted that, together with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, they took the opportunity to ask Putin about Russia’s preparations for trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
In Stubb’s view, the call was more a step towards building trust than a direct move closer to peace. Commenting on the future of relations with Russia, he stressed that contacts would be restored gradually, but the previous relationship between Finland and Russia would not return. In addition, representatives of Finland and Norway told Putin they disapproved of the activities of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Baltic Sea.
What is known about Støre and Stubb’s conversation with Putin?
- On 27 October, Stubb and Støre held a phone call with Putin to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end it. The conversation followed on from contacts that took place last week in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as US representatives.
- After the call, the Norwegian prime minister and the Finnish president held talks with the President of Ukraine and briefed him in detail on the substance of the contacts. According to Zelenskyy, the European leaders stressed to Putin the need for real steps towards de-escalation, including an end to strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The sides also discussed preparations for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia scheduled for November, and further co-operation with European partners.
- Later, Støre explained that the aim of the contact was to convey to the Kremlin Europe’s position on ending the war against Ukraine and to discuss possible steps towards de-escalation. Among Norway’s proposals were an end to strikes on energy infrastructure, an end to attacks on vessels carrying Ukrainian grain, and the exchange of prisoners of war. The Norwegian prime minister also stressed the need to define security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace agreement is concluded.