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At Least One European Leader Should Talk to Russia, Says Finland’s President

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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At Least One European Leader Should Talk to Russia, Says Finland’s President
President of Finland Alexander Stubb during summit of foreign leaders with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 24, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb says at least one European leader should maintain communication with Russia. The coalition of European nations supporting Ukraine—known as the “Coalition of the Willing”—has agreed that at least one of its leaders should maintain a channel of communication with Russia.

This was reported by Finnish media MTV on April 3, citing Alexander Stubb.

Stubb believes either France or the United Kingdom, as key players in the coalition, should take on the task of speaking directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Currently, no European leaders from Ukraine’s partner nations are in direct talks with Putin. Early in the full-scale invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did engage in dialogue with him, but those conversations have since stopped.

US Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff Steve Witkoff and head of Russia’s National Wealth Fund Kirill Dmitriev were set to meet at the White House on April 2, following a temporary lift of sanctions against Dmitriev, according to Sara Cook of CBS News.

Previously, it was announced that Finland will increase its defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2029 to protect itself from potential Russian aggression, Stubb wrote on X on April 1.

“This is a part of Finland’s contribution to Europe taking greater responsibility for our own defence,” Stubb stated.

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