Putin Says Russia Supports Any Steps to Restore Ties with EU States

Putin's framing is notable less for any concrete offer than for the distinction he draws between national leaders and the EU as a bloc — a signal that Moscow sees bilateral channels with Nordic states as more open than Brussels-level engagement. The reference to a Hormuz-like scenario in the Baltic introduces an energy and shipping-risk dimension that touches commodity and freight markets, not just diplomacy. Whether these calls translate into anything beyond atmospherics is the open question; the emphasis on leaders speaking for their own countries rather than the EU suggests the bloc's unified posture remains the binding constraint.