Russia Does Not Want War with Europe; Ready for Dialogue, Says Putin

Oct 30, 2026 at 12:26 PM

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Lanka Leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he welcomed the rare telephone conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway, adding that Moscow has always supported efforts to normalize relations with European countries.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Putin by phone on Tuesday (27), breaking with the longstanding European practice of avoiding direct contact with Moscow since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

However, the initiative drew criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who questioned its effectiveness and said it had not been coordinated with European partners.

Speaking at a press conference at the Kremlin on Thursday (29), Putin said he welcomed dialogue with Western countries despite their military support for Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia.

“I believe it was the right thing to do. After all, there are people in Europe who, unlike some others, do not want to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia but instead want to establish some kind of constructive dialogue,” he said.

He added that Russia would support “any steps aimed at restoring full-fledged and comprehensive relations” with European countries, whether through the European Union or bilaterally.

Putin reiterated that Russia had no intention of entering into a broader confrontation with the European Union or NATO.

“We do not want any war with Europe. If some of them want one, let them prepare. But they have not achieved their goal of inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia, and it is unlikely that this will be possible by 2030,” he said.

The leaders of Norway and Finland said their objective in speaking directly with Putin was to convey their views on future negotiations aimed at ending the war.

The telephone conversation took place ahead of Russia-Ukraine talks, expected to be held in Abu Dhabi in the near future under US mediation.

They also described the call as a follow-up to their meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Oslo on October 20.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian government and the Kremlin rejected a report by the Financial Times claiming that Putin had spent much of the telephone conversation lecturing his counterparts on Russian and Slavic history.

Finnish President Stubb has developed a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and has frequently discussed the Ukraine conflict with him. This has earned Stubb the media nickname “the Trump Whisperer”.

Stubb also pointed to Finland's longstanding experience in dealing with Russia. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with its eastern neighbour and maintained peaceful, although sometimes uneasy, relations with Moscow throughout the Cold War.

The telephone conversation took place amid growing tensions between Kiev and Washington.

After Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports, he subsequently waived additional restrictions following Ukrainian President Zelensky's refusal to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump blamed those attacks for contributing to rising fuel prices.

Moscow has accused European leaders of sabotaging the 2022 peace negotiations with Ukraine and attempting to undermine Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a settlement to the conflict.