The key facts

  • Stubb spoke with Putin for the first time as President of Finland; the contact was initiated at Ukraine's request together with Norwegian Prime Minister Støre
  • Finland, according to Stubb, supports Kyiv '100%' and does not act as a mediator, unlike the US
  • This is the first time the EU has received a direct message from Russia on Ukraine and the Baltic region

What Stubb said about the call with Putin

President of Finland Alexander Stubb, in an interview with Yle, called his telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin a turning point for three reasons: it was his first conversation with Putin as President of Finland, the first time he received direct information on how the Russian leader assesses the situation in the war, and an opportunity to convey messages from Ukrainians directly to the Russians. According to Stubb, he and Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre initiated contact with Putin at Ukraine's request, and the call came at a 'convenient time'.

Differences between the US and Europe

Stubb noted that between the policies of the United States and European countries there are currently 'certain differences in nuance': Brussels supports Ukraine, while Washington has chosen the role of mediator in peace talks. He named the key question for Helsinki as whether US policy toward Russia and Ukraine aligns with Finland's interests. Finland itself, the president emphasized, does not act as a mediator but supports Kyiv '100%' — and, according to him, this message was conveyed to Putin as well.

Significance for the European Union

Stubb added that the call became a topic of discussion with European leaders, and called it the first time the European Union received a direct message from Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine or, for example, the situation in the Baltic Sea. Separately, the Finnish leader had previously spoken out against allowing Russian hockey players to participate in international tournaments — Gazeta.Ru reminds readers of this.