Russian President Vladimir Putin told the leaders of Finland and Norway on Oct 27 that Moscow will not drop its goal of seizing all of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. The statement was made during a phone call in which Putin claimed that a lasting peace deal is only possible if the Kremlin’s interests are fully satisfied, according to Reuters, which cited a source close to the Russian leader.
The conversation was initiated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to convey messages from Kyiv ahead of planned technical-level negotiations between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this November. While the Nordic leaders said the call was coordinated with Ukraine, the initiative was criticized by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who expressed skepticism over the lack of coordination with other European allies.