In May 2015 I wrote a blog post about a Star Trek episode. Captain Picard said: ‘We must talk to them.’
On Tuesday, Stubb and Støre spoke to Putin by telephone. According to the Kremlin, the leaders agreed to continue direct contact by phone. Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, was sceptical of the initiative, and Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, urged caution. As usual, the Kremlin’s statement referred to the ‘root causes’ of the war, so there are grounds for scepticism. Even so, the call was a sensible decision, because talking does not commit anyone to concessions. Støre also pointed out that the United States should not be the only party discussing Ukraine with Moscow.
I wrote the blog post long before the full-scale invasion, and it does not mention Russia. Even so, the ideas in it fit the present situation well. The conditions for dialogue must be created, and the issues that matter to the other side must be taken into account. That is, however, a different matter from accepting them. In my view, alongside talking, we must therefore continue to support Ukraine unwaveringly.
