President of Finland Alexander Stubb has stated that he does not see himself in the role of a negotiator with Russia and believes that the E3 group—namely France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—is best suited to represent Europe in negotiations, MTV Uutiset reports.
He said this in response to a proposal from Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr Merezhko to make Stubb the European representative in truce talks, calling him an excellent diplomat and emphasizing that the Finnish president "knows how to negotiate and strategically communicate with the US president."
"Personally, I do not see myself as a representative in this matter. In my opinion, it is important that this be led by the major players, namely France, Germany, and the UK," Stubb replied during the state visit of the President of Kenya.
However, according to him, countries like Finland or Norway can successfully facilitate negotiations while remaining in the background.
Stubb also emphasized that it is now necessary to establish a dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
"We are currently in a situation where Ukraine holds strong positions both militarily and in political and economic terms. Therefore, in my opinion, it is high time for Europe to contact the leadership of Russia, or more precisely, with President Putin, and conduct diplomatic negotiations," he said.
