Finland’s ‘Putin whisperer’ tries to solve Ukraine crisis with telephone diplomacy

President Sauli Niinistö, whom the Sunday Times recently described as the “Putin whisperer” has had phone calls with both Washington and the Kremlin to find a diplomatic solution to the tense situation at the Ukraine border.

On Monday, Niinistö held a phone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The discussion was said to be about Mitsotakis’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi a week before.

Later the same day, in a phone call to Washington, “President Niinistö told President Biden about the main pillars of Finnish security policy” and said that he “appreciates that NATO maintains its Open Door policy”, a press release reads.

On Tuesday, in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Niinistö spoke about the tense situation at Ukraine’s borders and stressed the need for a diplomatic resolution. He also noted that Finland has a “stable foreign and security policy line”.

The discussions also offered a chance to prepare for a possible summit in 2025 when Finland is set to chair the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)