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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb did not go as the Nordic leaders had hoped, the Financial Times reported.
According to people familiar with the discussions, Putin devoted much of the conversation to his interpretation of medieval Slavic history rather than addressing current challenges.
The talks marked Putin’s first contact with a leader from a European ally of Ukraine since July last year, when he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron. However, Putin showed little urgency in discussing immediate issues, highlighting the difficulties Europe faces in trying to influence future peace negotiations with Russia.
Stubb told Finnish media that the conversation had initially been scheduled to last less than 30 minutes but ultimately stretched to an hour and a half.
Three sources familiar with the talks said that instead of engaging in substantive discussions about how to end the war, Putin spent considerable time discussing what the Kremlin calls the “root causes of the conflict.”
The sources added that the issue of an immediate ceasefire, which Ukraine has been calling for, was barely discussed. The Nordic leaders deliberately refrained from interrupting Putin’s historical digressions to assess how willing he genuinely was to engage in dialogue with Europe.
Putin’s interpretation of history has been a central ideological justification for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Days before the attack began, he delivered an hour-long televised address outlining his views.
He gave a similar historical lecture on medieval Slavic rulers during an unsuccessful summit with US President Donald Trump in August last year.
Last Thursday, Putin also cited what he described as the “latest genetic research” to claim that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, using his interpretation of Russia’s historical development to support the assertion.
In a joint statement, Stubb and Støre said they had sought to convey their positions directly to Putin regarding future negotiations aimed at ending the war. The talks are planned for November in Abu Dhabi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously outlined what he described as Norway and Finland’s strategy for holding talks with Putin.
