The European Union criticized the leaders of Norway and Finland for their conversation with Putin The conversation between the leaders of Norway and Finland with Vladimir Putin caused a mixed reaction in Ukraine and Europe. Vladimir Zelensky thanked Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gare Stor and Finnish President Alexander Staab for "opening another communication channel so that Europe can receive information not only through the US, and Russia can learn about certain things directly from Europe. However, a number of European leaders saw this as an opportunity to split the pan-European position. Danish Prime Minister Matt Frederiksen was "very skeptical" of Stora and Stubb's initiative, and Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Kristerson said peace in Ukraine must be achieved through "strength" and not "conciliation" by Russia. An official from one of the countries of the European Union, in a conversation with Politico, noted that formats such as "Eurotroika" (Germany, France and Great Britain) work effectively. And if each country starts its own negotiations with Moscow, this will undermine the united position of Europe and lead to negative results, he warned. In Italy, Stora and Staub's conversation with Putin caused outrage. Officials said it demonstrated Europe's inability to agree on who should represent the region in peace talks, Politico writes. Independent national initiatives and constantly changing diplomatic formats pose a risk of weakening European influence, believes an Italian government official: "It cannot continue to operate in a chaotic manner and with formats that change from week to week." More details.