Norway and Finland engage Putin directly as peace diplomacy is forced back into the open ahead of Abu Dhabi summit
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes, reopening a diplomatic channel before the U.S.-led talks in Abu Dhabi while insisting their outreach does not weaken support for Ukraine.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, breaking with the usual Western habit of pretending direct contact can be avoided while a war grinds on. The leaders said the discussion was "frank and substantive" and stressed the need for de-escalation and direct dialogue to end the war in Ukraine, acknowledging that the consequences shape the security of their neighboring countries.
Stubb told X that the call followed the Oslo meeting on 20 October between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that it was arranged in consultation with Kyiv and Washington. He added that the conversation was conducted in their personal capacities, not as representatives of Europe, and reiterated that "our support for Ukraine remains unwavering." Støre said that speaking to the other side does not mean easing pressure on Russia and urged other European governments to abandon symbolic rigidity and follow a similar approach.
The Kremlin’s summary said Putin maintained that a lasting peace requires the "legitimate interests of the Russian Federation" to be fully considered and blamed the policies of the EU and NATO for prolonging hostilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the call as "constructive and substantive," while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the discussion offered "nothing new" to resolve the conflict.
European leaders responded cautiously. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he had low expectations for the conversation, and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned against isolated diplomatic initiatives, urging a united European stance. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the need for "absolute caution and vigilance" in such contacts, and Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys called for a coordinated European presence at any peace negotiations.