Putin Praises Finland and Norway for Rare Kremlin Call
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed a rare phone call from the heads of government of Finland and Norway and stated that Moscow supports efforts to normalize relations with European countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed a rare phone call from the heads of state of Finland and Norway. Moscow has always supported efforts to normalize relations with European states, Putin said. The initiative, however, also drew criticism in Europe.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had spoken with Putin on Tuesday. In doing so, they broke with a practice that Western European top politicians had largely observed since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022: avoiding direct contacts with Moscow.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen questioned the effectiveness of the initiative. It had also not been coordinated with European partners, she said. Frederiksen thus expressed doubts about the move, which was not unanimously welcomed within Europe.
At a press conference in the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin said he welcomed dialogue with Western countries despite their military support for Ukraine and despite the sanctions against Russia. "I believe it was the right thing to do," he said. There are people in Europe who, unlike others, do not seek a "strategic defeat" of Russia but want a constructive dialogue.
Putin added that Russia would support "all steps" aimed at restoring "full-fledged and comprehensive relations" with European states. This could happen both through the European Union as a whole and on a bilateral level.
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