Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – The "case" surrounding the phone call between Vladimir Putin, Alexander Stubb, and Jonas Gahr Store has exploded, a conversation in which the two Nordic leaders spoke on their own behalf, not on behalf of Europeans as a whole. Sources at Palazzo Chigi, while emphasizing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's respect for Stubb and Store, emphasized the lack of EU representation and the need to avoid disorganized discussions.
A ninety-minute telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, but "major differences of opinion" remain with the Russian president on the war in Ukraine, said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who, together with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, had the conversation with the Russian president today.
"There are major differences of opinion," Store told Norwegian media in Helsinki, where he is attending a meeting of Nordic leaders. Store clarified that he and Stubb spoke to Putin on behalf of their respective countries, without any mandate from other states.
The meeting was to discuss the outcome of the negotiations between Volodymyr Zelensky and the American envoys in Oslo.
Conducted at the initiative of the two Nordic leaders, "the discussion was frank and substantive," Stubb said in a joint statement. "The outcome of this war will have direct consequences for our security and, more broadly, for Europe's. Ending the war requires direct discussions," he added.
"This is an initiative led by two leaders with whom President Meloni has a relationship of great esteem, at the helm of two nations that border Russia and that have always supported Ukraine.
But this phone call says one thing above all, and clearly: Europe has yet to reach an agreement on who should represent the interests of the European continent in the peace process. It is precisely this vacuum that is pushing individual nations to act on a national basis. Stubb and Store themselves immediately wanted to clarify that they were speaking on behalf of their respective nations and not Europe. They couldn't do otherwise, because today no one can,” commented sources at Palazzo Chigi.
"This is why Italy has long argued that it is necessary to designate, as soon as possible and in a shared manner, one or more figures with a clear mandate to speak on behalf of Europe, in order to best protect its interests and security." "Negotiations cannot wait: Europe cannot afford to lose further ground; it must decide who represents it, and it must do so quickly. It cannot continue to move haphazardly and in formats that change from week to week, or it will progressively lose its weight in the negotiations." "The Italian government is ready to continue doing its part to ensure this decision is made quickly," sources at Palazzo Chigi report.
A "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine is possible only by taking "full and unconditional account of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation," Putin reiterated during his telephone conversation with Stubb and Store, accusing the European Union and NATO countries of pursuing "policies of confrontation" that, in his view, contribute to prolonging the war. The Kremlin said this in a statement cited by the Tass news agency.
The meeting, which took place at the request of the leaders of Finland and Norway, focused on the prospects for a resolution to the Ukrainian crisis, also in light of Putin's meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff on October 21 in St. Petersburg and Stubb and Store's subsequent contacts with Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the Kremlin, the three leaders welcomed the agreement to resume trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. During the phone call, security issues in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe were also addressed. Stubb and Store reiterated the importance of respecting international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke by phone with Stubb and Store. "I spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store following their phone call with the Russian leader today and as a continuation of our discussions in Oslo with representatives of the United States, Europe, and NATO. I am grateful for the detailed briefing and their active support for our diplomacy and the peace efforts we are pursuing together with all our partners," Zelensky wrote on X.
"Alex and Jonas," he added, "made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalation steps are needed regarding (the attacks, ed.) our energy and infrastructure. We discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting scheduled for November at the team level—Ukrainian, American, and Russian. Finland and Norway, as countries bordering Russia, have a particular interest in strong and reliable security arrangements. We also discussed various formats for our engagement with partners in Europe that could be useful to further support diplomacy, our defense, and our shared security. There must be peace, de-escalation is necessary, and Russia must stop prolonging the war. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!"
policy
webinfo@adnkronos.com (Web Info)