Zelenskyy arrives in Istanbul for talks with Erdogan

Finland's President Alexander Stubb offered new insights about a recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by foreign policy expert Henry Vanhanen on social media platform X. Stubb disputed the Financial Times' claim that Putin dominated the 90-minute discussion with a lengthy history lesson, stating that Putin initially recounted the events since 2014, but the conversation then shifted to a substantive and concrete exchange of views, with information flowing both ways.

The initiative stemmed from discussions with Ukrainian and American representatives following a meeting in Oslo on October 20th. Both Ukraine and the United States gave their approval, according to Vanhanen's account of Stubb's perspective. The timing was chosen because Finland and Norway wanted to speak with Putin before planned U.S-Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Stubb clarified that the primary goal was to establish conditions for a possible in-person meeting between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Putin.

The immediate objective, according to Vanhanen, is to make progress in Abu Dhabi. A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin would be a subsequent step, contingent upon the negotiations generating sufficient grounds for one. Stubb emphasized that Finland does not seek a seat at the negotiating table and acknowledged the difficulty Europeans faced in agreeing on a single representative.

Stubb maintained that the call was not a breakthrough in itself but rather one step in a diplomatic sequence aimed at keeping negotiations moving and ultimately bringing the two presidents together.

While the expert noted that Putin's fundamental objectives have not changed, he cautioned against being overly optimistic about his readiness for negotiations. The true test, Stubb added, lies in what happens in Abu Dhabi and whether Moscow is prepared to move beyond its existing demands.