Two European leaders called Putin. Why did it cause such a stir?

Finland and Norway’s outreach to Moscow has rattled their allies – and may carry an unwelcome message for Kiev The phone call on Tuesday by the leaders of Finland and Norway to Russian President Vladimir Putin caught many by surprise. Until then, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who took office in early 2024, had never spoken with his Russian counterpart. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, meanwhile, had last spoken with Putin in March 2022 – more than four and a half years ago, when the Ukraine crisis, Russia’s confrontation with the West, and the global geopolitical landscape looked very different. But the element of surprise was far from the only remarkable thing about this call to the Kremlin. Equally striking was the pointedly conciliatory tone of Stubb’s statement.

Finland joined NATO shortly before he became president, then proceeded on his watch to bury its neutrality and descend into anti-Russian hysteria and paranoia. This time, Stubb sounded like a different man. He described his conversation with Putin this way: “The discussion was frank and substantive. We are neighboring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions. ” Store issued a similar statement, as though the two leaders had copied their carefully chosen words from each other. Nordic call to Putin opens rift in Europe on Ukraine The biggest surprise, however – if not an outright bombshell – was Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s revelation that the Finnish and Norwegian leaders had no mandate whatsoever to speak on behalf of their European allies. “ I’m very skeptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative. It hasn’t been coordinated with any of the rest of us,”…