Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, during a phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, that the EU and NATO were allegedly to blame for the war in Ukraine continuing.
The Russian leader told them about the “root causes” underlying the conflict. In his view, “a just and lasting peace” is possible only if Russia’s interests are taken “fully” into account.
The three leaders welcomed the agreement to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, Agerpres reports. They also agreed to continue their direct dialogue by telephone, according to information released by the Kremlin.
The leaders of Finland and Norway told the Russian president on Tuesday that attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector and infrastructure must stop, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after speaking with Stubb and Støre.
The Finnish president and the Norwegian prime minister “made it clear to the Russian leader that concrete steps are needed to de-escalate the situation concerning our energy sector and infrastructure,” Zelensky added.