Arya News - When Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store called Vladimir Putin, they hoped such a direct intervention with Russia’s leader would “demonstrate European resolve,” according to Western media reports.
Instead, their conversation with the Russian president is described as having triggered the biggest rift among Nordic allies since the Ukraine conflict escalated.The incident reportedly exposed Europe’s “wider divisions” over how to engage with Russia at a pivotal moment in the push for peace. As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for talks with Donald Trump’s envoys in Abu Dhabi this week, the repercussions of the phone call between Stubb, Store and Putin “are still reverberating across Europe.”European governments are now arguing over who should represent the continent in future negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict - talks to which Europe was not even invited.The trilateral negotiations between Russia, the US and Ukraine are set to take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, with Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky continuing on as Russian chief negotiator.