Norway and Finland hold direct talks with Putin ahead of Abu Dhabi peace summit

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, marking a departure from the usual Western practice of avoiding direct contact with the Russian leader. The leaders said the discussion was "frank and substantive" and emphasized the need for de-escalation and a direct dialogue to end the war in Ukraine, noting that the outcome directly affects 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 reaffirmed "our support for Ukraine remains unwavering." Støre said that talking to the other side does not mean reducing pressure on Russia and urged a similar approach across Europe.

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 expressed caution. 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.