Finnish President and Norwegian Prime Minister Call Putin After Consulting Ukraine
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 27 October on their own initiative, discussing the war in Ukraine and peace efforts. They consulted Ukraine beforehand.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, 27 October, at their own initiative. The call focused on Russia's war against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end it. The Ukrainian outlet European Pravda reported the news, citing Stubb's office.
The Finnish president's office said the call followed up on a meeting held in Oslo on 20 October. Ukraine was consulted while the call was being prepared. Stubb and Støre stressed that they took part as leaders of their own countries, not as representatives of Europe.
What the leaders said
Both politicians said Finland and Norway would continue their long-standing support for Ukraine. They also stated that the war must end and negotiations must go on. Stubb described the discussion as frank and businesslike. He noted that both countries neighbour Russia, so the outcome of the war will affect the security of Finland, Norway and Europe as a whole. In his view, ending the war requires direct dialogue. Støre said the call underlined the importance of de-escalation.
Background
According to Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky is currently speaking with Stubb and Støre. Earlier, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated that Europe should be involved in talks among Russian, Ukrainian and American officials. Media reports suggested Russia might try to use a new round of peace talks to win concessions from NATO.
On 20 October in Oslo, Zelensky, Støre and Stubb held talks with representatives of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff then visited St Petersburg and met Putin, whom he called a "humanist". On 23 October, Zelensky spoke with the US president's special envoys and said a trilateral meeting at team level was planned for the first half of November. Ushakov claims Russia is ready to resume trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine after 4 November.
