Putin Lectured Nordic Leaders on History, Zelensky Reveals Kyiv’s Role

Ukraine was aware that Norway and Finland were preparing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and had been informed in advance about the purpose of the conversation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.He made the remarks while speaking with journalists, according to RBC-Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Zelensky said he spoke with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Tuesday night, following a meeting in Oslo, shortly before their conversation with Putin.“We discussed the topic. In principle, we had a briefing in Oslo on the topic of the upcoming planned trilateral meeting of the negotiating groups in November in Abu Dhabi,” he said.“They wanted to discuss it with me and then with the leader of Russia. We talked to them then, but we didn’t come out with it publicly, because it was already night,” Zelensky added.He said that Stubb and Støre spoke with Putin on Tuesday, with each side presenting its position. After the conversation, the Nordic leaders immediately called Zelensky to brief him on the details.“In principle, they conveyed that there seems to be a feeling that the Russians are serious about the meeting in Abu Dhabi. The topics should be the following issues: The first de-escalation steps, the main priorities for the Ukrainian side – in particular security ones, and in general the end of this war,” Zelensky said.According to Zelensky, the initiative came from Stubb and Støre. In a joint statement, the two leaders said they wanted to convey their positions to Putin directly regarding future negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest US Proposed Demilitarized Zones in Donbas, Zelensky Says US proposals included buffer zones, territorial swaps, and a solution for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Zelensky said. Zelensky also pointed to their clarification that they were speaking on behalf of their own countries, rather than representing Europe as a whole. As Russia’s neighbors, he said, Norway and Finland have a particular interest in the discussions.Zelensky said Norway and Finland should share the information with other Europeans and discuss the agenda with Ukraine, Europe, and the US.“They want to play a bigger role,” he said, adding that while Norway is not an EU member, it is part of Europe more broadly.Zelensky added that both countries view security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia as a major challenge because of their geographic proximity and their roles as European states and key Ukrainian partners.“When there are security guarantees that Ukraine wants to discuss and security guarantees that Russia wants to discuss, they believe that this is also a serious challenge for them – both for Russia’s neighbors, for European countries, and for our serious partners,” Zelensky said.He welcomed the initiative and said he supported the format of their communication with the Kremlin.Zelensky also recalled the meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska, saying it had effectively ended Russia’s diplomatic isolation.“It’s a fact: The ‘Russians’ were diplomatically isolated by a significant part of the world, and Alaska lifted this isolation,” he said.Zelensky added that European contacts with Russia had taken place even before the Alaska meeting, although they were less public. He also pointed to communications involving national security advisers and intelligence services, as well as contacts with Turkey and countries in the Middle East.“In addition to Europe, Turkey and the countries of the Middle East communicated. That is, this is happening,” he said, adding that Kyiv had learned about some other contacts only after they had taken place.In contrast, Zelensky described the Norwegian and Finnish initiative as an open process involving advance discussions, a full briefing, and clear objectives.“Finland and Norway show that they want to open another channel of communication so that Europe can receive information not only through the US and so that Russia can hear certain things directly,” Zelensky added.Putin focused on medieval slavic history during talksMeanwhile, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Putin’s conversation with Støre and Stubb did not go as the Nordic leaders had expected.According to the report cited by RBC-Ukraine, Putin devoted a substantial part of the discussion to his interpretation of medieval Slavic history.The conversation was the Russian leader’s first contact with any of Ukraine’s European allies since he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron in July.However, Putin showed little urgency to address current issues, the FT reported, highlighting the challenges Europe faces in trying to influence future peace negotiations with Russia.Stubb told Finnish media that the conversation had initially been scheduled to last less than 30 minutes but ultimately continued for an hour and a half.Three sources familiar with the discussions told the FT that, rather than engaging in substantive debate about how to end the war, Putin spent considerable time discussing what the Kremlin calls the “root causes of the conflict.”The sources also said the issue of an immediate ceasefire – which Ukraine has insisted upon – was barely raised. The Nordic leaders deliberately refrained from interrupting Putin’s historical digressions, seeking to assess how willing he was to engage in dialogue with Europe.Previously, Putin also cited “the latest genetic research” to support his claim that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. He presented the argument through his own interpretation of Russia’s historical development and contemporary realities.