“War mongers will lose. Dialogue will triumph.“ This was stated by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and special representative of the Russian president for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries.
In a post on the social network X, Dmitriev added that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen “deserves to lose Greenland“. His comment was in response to her criticism of a phone call between Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Frederiksen's criticism
The conversation took place on October 27 and was dedicated to the war in Ukraine, diplomatic options for ending it and security in Europe. The meeting was held after consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Frederiksen said that Stubb and Støre had not coordinated their actions with other European countries. “I think we should preserve the unity of Europe, not act separately“, the Danish prime minister said during the Nordic Council meeting in Helsinki.
She also indicated that she saw no signs that Russia wanted peace with Europe or with Ukraine. According to her, the conversation could give Moscow an opportunity that it did not have just a few hours earlier.
Oslo and Helsinki defended the initiative
Jonas Gar Støre said that partners and allies were informed in advance about the conversation, and after it they received a detailed report. He emphasized that Norway and Finland spoke on behalf of their own governments, and not on behalf of other European countries.
“In today's conditions, it is not possible for the US administration to be the only one to have a channel for talking to the Russian leadership“, Støre said. He described the conversation as necessary because of the role of Norway and Finland as neighboring countries of Russia.
According to data cited by international media, the conversation lasted about 90 minutes. Stubb and Støre described it as open and substantive, but acknowledged that significant differences remain between the parties.
The public dispute highlights the differences between northern European countries on whether direct contacts with Moscow should be part of a common European diplomatic line. While Copenhagen insists on a coordinated position, Oslo and Helsinki defend their right to maintain their own channel of communication.
Sources: rbc.ru, ruv.is, infobae-infobae-prod.web.arc-cdn.net