Putin says Finnish and Norwegian leaders "did the right thing" by calling him

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is ready for a war with Europe but does not want one. He claimed to support steps to restore relations with Europe, saying the recent phone call initiated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was "the right thing to do".

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies; Interfax

Quote from Putin: "Regarding the phone conversation with the representatives, or rather leaders, of the EU countries from Finland and Norway, they emphasised right at the start of the conversation that they were not representing the EU as an organisation and were calling me in their national capacity, so to speak."

Details: Putin said the conversation "took place on their initiative, and indeed a whole range of issues were raised". He also claimed that Russia supports any steps to restore relations with Europe, both with the EU as a whole and with individual countries.

"I know that they [Stubb and Støre – ed.] later faced criticism, but it is not for us to judge whether this is right or not. I believe it was the right thing to do. After all, there are some people in Europe who do not want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, unlike some, but seek to establish some kind of constructive dialogue," Putin said.

He stressed that "we support any – I have always said this – any steps aimed at restoring full-scale and full-fledged relations with European countries".

At the same time, Putin warned that Russia is ready for a war with Europe, although it supposedly does not want one. "Firstly, we are ready, but we do not want any war with Europe," the Kremlin leader said.

Background:

• On Tuesday 27 October, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on their own initiative.
• Stubb and Støre had held consultations with Ukraine beforehand and spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy afterwards.
• Stubb and Støre initiated the call themselves to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war and promoting peace and stability in Europe.

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