Finnish president says Putin gave no history lectures during phone call

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has denied media reports that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin lectured him and the Norwegian prime minister on history during a phone call.

Source: Stubb in a programme on the Finnish broadcaster Yle, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Asked by a journalist to comment on a Financial Times report that Putin spent most of the phone call telling the Finnish and Norwegian leaders about the "initial reasons for the conflict" with Ukraine, Stubb denied this, saying the reports were false.

Stubb said Putin had given his version of what happened after 2014 – the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine's east.

Putin also talked about the peace talks held in Istanbul after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Finnish leader noted.

The president stressed that he and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had called Putin at Ukraine's request. He added that Finland and Norway also have their own security interests and, as Russia's neighbours, would have to establish contact with Moscow sooner or later.

Finland is not acting as a mediator in the negotiations but fully supports Ukraine, Stubb stressed. He said Finland stands 100% with Ukraine and that Putin had been told this directly.

Stubb acknowledged that the phone call with Putin had drawn criticism from some leaders but said he is not concerned about a rift between the Nordic countries.

The Finnish president stressed that all the Nordic countries share exactly the same goal in this matter, namely supporting Ukraine and facilitating the peace talks, so he is not worried in this regard.

Background:

• On Tuesday 27 October, Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Putin on their own initiative. Stubb said the discussion was "frank and substantive".
• Zelenskyy said Stubb and Støre had made it clear to Putin that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding Ukrainian energy and infrastructure.
• Jonas Gahr Støre requested that the Financial Times correct its article about the conversation with Putin, which claimed that the Kremlin leader had spent almost the entire time talking about the "initial reasons for the conflict" with Ukraine.

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