Finnish president on Putin: perceptive and very well-prepared
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who held a phone call with Vladimir Putin alongside the Norwegian prime minister last month, described the Kremlin leader as "perceptive" and "very well-prepared".
Stubb described in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung his phone conversation with Putin as "a good, straightforward conversation".
Putin, he said, is "very perceptive, very analytical, very well-prepared and very calm in his manner of conducting a conversation".
"And Putin can certainly listen," the Finnish president added.
Meanwhile, Stubb acknowledged that Russia's position has not changed: Putin continues to deny Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, at least now there is a return to the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi, he added.
"The most important thing is not to hand over responsibility for European security to the United States," Stubb stressed.
The Finnish leader said the phone call with Putin had been agreed with Ukraine. He talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy every day. The purpose of the call was to convey Ukraine's "key messages" on the Abu Dhabi negotiations directly to Russia, he added.
Stubb noted that both Norway and Finland are neighbours of Russia, and that the outcome of the war will have a direct impact on their own security and that of Europe as a whole.
"When the war ends, how do we ensure that Russia does not do this again? When the war ends, troops will be moved to the Finnish border," he said.
Stubb rejected accusations that the phone call had divided Europe. On the contrary, he believes, "this was the first time Europe was able to act as a mediator". Allies had been informed before the call, after which there had been a lot of positive feedback and only one negative response.
Now it is time for other European countries to take action, Stubb said. He hopes that Germany, France and Italy will now take the lead in efforts to involve Europe in the negotiations on Ukraine.
Responding to the observation that there have already been many failed attempts to bring Putin to the negotiating table, Stubb said: "The hope that change could be achieved through trade has not materialised. But in diplomacy, it is important not to give up. The war has been going on for more than four and a half years, and the situation will not improve if Europe remains silent."
On 27 October, Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Putin on their own initiative. Stubb described the discussion as "frank and businesslike".
Zelenskyy said that Stubb and Støre had "clearly told" Putin about the need for real de-escalation measures concerning Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy also said that, following the European leaders' conversation with the Kremlin leader, there is a sense that Russia is serious about a meeting of negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi.