Niinistö, Putin discuss Crimea, Ukraine situation over phone

President Sauli Niinistö on Tuesday held a long telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and discussed various issues including the tense situation in the Crimean peninsula and at the border between Russia and Ukraine.

Niinistö expressed his serious concern at an escalation of the situation due to the troop movements and raised the need for dialogue and actions to reduce tensions, said the Office of the President in a press release.

Putin told Niinistö about his conversation with US President Biden and also about the planned meeting of the two presidents.

Niinistö informed Putin of his initiative to strengthen the 50-year-old Helsinki Spirit in 2025 and it was discussed in a positive tone.

They also discussed the prison conditions of Alexei Navalny.