Finnish president declines role as Europe's negotiator with Putin

Долучайтеся до клубу УП!

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that he believes it is necessary to begin a dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but that he does not intend to act as Europe's chief negotiator.

Source: Stubb during a joint press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto on 10 June, as reported by MTV Uutiset

Details: Oleksandr Merezhko, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee, earlier suggested that Stubb should represent Europe in ceasefire negotiations. Merezhko described the Finnish president as "an excellent diplomat" capable of conducting negotiations and communicating effectively with the US president.

However, Stubb rejected the proposal. In his view, Europe should be represented in negotiations by the so-called E3 group consisting of France, Germany and the UK. Meanwhile, countries such as Finland and Norway could make meaningful contributions behind the scenes.