Sauli Niinistö at a meeting with Putin in 2018.Image: imago stock&people
Is Vladimir Putin ready for real peace negotiations? At least that’s what former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö thinks.
May 18, 2026, 04:26May 18, 2026, 04:26
Christoph Cöln / t-online
Former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with the Europeans. “The message is: I’m ready to talk, but don’t think that I’m weak,” Niinistö told Stern magazine. With regard to the serious attacks on Ukraine in recent days and the test of the new Sarmat long-range missile, one must also add up Putin’s words and actions:
“He may have something on his mind that deals with war and peace in Ukraine, but at the same time he wants to demonstrate his power.”
Niinistö is considered a Putin expert: The now 77-year-old met Putin personally dozens of times during his time in office. Experts repeatedly bring the Finn into play as a European mediator for negotiations with Moscow. Niinistö expressly does not rule out such a role in the interview.
Foreign Minister warns: “Don’t miss the moment”
In an interview, Niinistö calls for negotiations with Moscow on the future European security architecture. “This is an issue that goes well beyond the war in Ukraine, and Europe should definitely be involved,” said Niinistö. The second important topic in the negotiations should be discussions about hybrid warfare.
Niinistö sees this as a potential danger similar to that of nuclear armament after the Second World War. In order to prevent an escalation, similar agreements regarding the limitation of hybrid warfare must urgently be negotiated with Moscow. “We have to get with Russia to where the two superpowers came with nuclear weapons from the 1950s onwards,” said Niinistö.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously signaled Russia’s willingness to talk to the EU. “The Russian side is open to it,” Peskov said on Sunday. At the same time, however, he refused to allow EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to take part in the negotiations. “It would not be in your interest to act as an intermediary,” said Peskov. Before her appointment to Brussels, Kallas was head of government of Estonia, which broke away from the then Soviet Union in 1991.
According to the Kyiv Independent, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna warned against accepting the Kremlin offer. “Europe should not miss the moment” to weaken Russia through further sanctions. Putin himself recently brought the former German chancellor and Kremlin friend Gerhard Schröder (SPD) into discussions as a mediator. The initiative was largely met with criticism. It was said that Putin simply wanted to gain time with the initiative.
Sources used:
- Advance notice “Star”
- dpa news agency