Russia wants to restore relations with European countries, Putin says after Stubb call

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on his phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre on Thursday evening from Moscow. In his remarks, Putin expressed Russia's desire to restore fully-fledged and complete relations with European countries, emphasizing that any potential war would result in no winners.

He stated that Russia is ready for dialogue but firmly opposes any war with Europe. Putin also noted that neither Stubb nor Støre were representing the European Union in the call, as they made clear at the beginning. Despite criticism from some European allies, Putin acknowledged that the Nordic leaders were right to initiate contact, even though they received a mixed reaction.

The Russian leader reportedly spent most of the 90-minute conversation lecturing Stubb and Støre about medieval Slavic history, driven by his historical fixation on the initial reasons for the conflict. A survey conducted by Ilta-Sanomat on Friday morning found that 75 percent of the Finnish public supported President Stubb's decision to call Putin to discuss the Ukraine peace process.