Putin said Russia supports any EU steps toward restoring relations with Europe

At a press conference following the Russia–Africa forum, Vladimir Putin said that Russia supports any steps to restore full-fledged relations with European countries — both with the European Union as a whole and on a bilateral basis. The comment followed a phone conversation with the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Norway on October 27.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 29 October 2026 at 23:412 min read

The key facts

Putin: Russia supports any steps to restore relations with Europe — with the EU as a whole or bilaterally
The comment was made after a phone conversation with Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre on October 27
According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin promised to always answer calls from Stubb and Støre; the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict was also discussed

Statement after a conversation with European leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow supports any initiatives aimed at restoring full-fledged relations with European countries. According to him, the format does not matter — contacts can develop both with the European Union as a whole and with individual states on a bilateral basis. The remark was made at a press conference following the Russia–Africa forum, as reported by Life.ru.

Context of the phone conversation

The comment came in response to Putin's recent phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The conversation took place on October 27. Putin expressed his readiness to continue dialogue with European leaders and assured his interlocutors that he is open to communication. According to presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the Russian leader promised to always answer calls from Stubb and Støre. According to the outlet, the politicians also discussed with Putin issues of settling the Ukrainian conflict.

What lies behind the wording

The statement is notable in that it explicitly separates two possible tracks: supranational (dialogue with the EU as an organization) and bilateral (contacts with individual European countries). In practical terms, this means that Moscow is not making the restoration of relations contingent on a single pan-European platform — the very conversation with Stubb and Støre serves as an example of a bilateral channel. At the same time, the publications provide no information about any specific steps by the EU or individual countries in response; it remains unknown whether new contacts will follow the October 27 conversation.