Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumHe Knows Putin Well. And He Fears for Ukraine.
The Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, has carved out a vital role as interpreter between East and West, and he is not optimistic about the prospects for peace.
'HELSINKI As the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine grew, the European head of state with the longest and deepest experience dealing with Vladimir V. Putin fielded calls and doled out advice to President Emmanuel Macron of France and other world leaders desperate for insight into his difficult neighbor to the east.
What do you think about this about this, what about this, or this? Thats where I try to be helpful, said Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, as the harsh light gleaming off the snow and frozen bay poured into the presidential residence. They know that I know Putin, he added. And because it goes the other way around Putin sometimes says, Well, why dont you tell your Western friends that and that and that?
Mr. Niinisto, 73, said his role was not merely that of a Nordic runner, shuttling messages between East and West, but of borderland interpreter, explaining to both sides the thinking of the other. The departure from politics of Angela Merkel, who for years as Germanys chancellor led Europes negotiations with Mr. Putin, has made Mr. Niinistos role, while smaller, vital, especially as the drumbeat of war grows louder.
But Mr. Niinisto is not optimistic. Before and after his last long conversation with Mr. Putin last month, he said, he had noticed a change in the Russian. His state of mind, the deciding, decisiveness that is clearly different, Mr. Niinisto said. He believed Mr. Putin felt he had to seize on the momentum he has now.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/world/europe/ukraine-russia-finland-sauli-niinisto-putin-nato.html
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Hope it does not come to pass.
elleng
(130,825 posts)marie999
(3,334 posts)I doubt that he will do it until he has tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and Kaliningrad. He may already have them in Kaliningrad, but most likely not yet in Belarus.
Peregrine Took
(7,412 posts)The last phone call they held was 2 years ago and he (Putin) now has a more hardened, "dug in" attitude. A real noticeable change and not for the good.
Chainfire
(17,519 posts)He is unpredictable and therefore very dangerous. His generals need to deal with him before he makes a mess that they will have to clean up.