Finnish president says he conveyed two messages from Zelenskyy to Putin

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said he conveyed two messages from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Vladimir Putin during a phone call with the Russian leader on 27 October.

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

Details: Stubb said he had relayed two messages from Zelenskyy to Putin. The first concerned Zelenskyy's willingness to hold direct talks with Putin, particularly on territorial and security issues. The second outlined Kyiv's proposals for de-escalation: possible ceasefires covering energy facilities, food security, prisoner-of-war exchanges and infrastructure more broadly.

The Finnish president added that he and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had also been able to ask Putin about Russia's preparations for the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. He said the call had been useful because it gave them a chance to find out how Putin planned to approach the talks.

Asked whether the call with Putin had brought peace closer, the Finnish president said it was more of a confidence-building step. Stubb added that they had made no backward steps, but the first call was primarily about establishing trust.

The president was also asked what would come next in terms of restoring contact and relations with Russia after the phone call. Stubb said there is no need to rush and that things should be taken step by step. He added that relations between Finland and Russia, for example, would be completely different from what they had been in the past.

Stubb said Finland and Norway had also told Putin that they oppose the Russian shadow fleet's activities in the Baltic Sea.

Background:

• Stubb has also refuted media reports that Putin lectured him and Jonas Gahr Støre on history during the phone call.
• 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.
• Following the conversation between the European leaders and Putin, Zelenskyy said there are indications that Russia is serious about a meeting of the negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi.

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