"Signal to Trump": why Stubb and Stere called Putin

Contacts between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gare Stere with Russian President Vladimir Putin may indicate an attempt by European countries to re-strengthen their participation in the negotiation process, said Ivan Skripka, a researcher at the Northern Europe Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"Europe has somewhat lost its importance in recent months, as the United States is negotiating directly with both Ukraine and Russia. Russia. And for Europe, for the European Union and for specific countries, this becomes a signal that they need to return to these negotiations," the expert said on Channel Five.

At the same time, Skripka stressed that it was too early to say how stable the new configuration would be.

"This, of course, slightly changes the configuration, but time will tell us how stable it is," he said.

The expert also believes that Finland and Norway are unlikely to be able to directly influence the terms of a possible agreement on Ukraine due to limited military and financial capabilities. However, their participation may be important from the point of view of who exactly will represent Europe in contacts with Russia.

Separately, Skripka pointed to Norway's diplomatic experience, including its ties in the Middle East and in the countries of the Global South. According to him, this can be an advantage if the negotiations take place in the Middle East region.

Finland, in turn, also stands out among European states due to its common border with Russia. In addition, as the expert noted, Alexander Stubb has experience in interacting with the administration of US President Donald Trump and certain diplomatic contacts with Moscow.