Finland and Norway Leaders Call Putin

What Finland and Norway say

Stubb and Støre made the call from Helsinki, where Nordic leaders were gathered for a session of the Nordic Council. In identical statements, the Finnish president's office and the Norwegian prime minister's office said the two leaders initiated it "to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war," that it followed up on a meeting in Oslo on October 20 and was held in consultation with Ukraine, and that it was "related to the upcoming meetings to be held in Abu Dhabi." The Oslo meeting brought them together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The statements said the aim was "to convey messages directly to President Putin regarding future negotiations," and that the two "did not speak on the behalf of Europe as a whole." Both countries border Russia, and the statements said they raised a shared interest in stability in the Baltic Sea region and the High North, the Arctic area along Norway's and Russia's northern coasts. They told Putin their support for Ukraine will continue and that the war must end and negotiations resume.

"The discussion was frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," Stubb said. Støre said, "The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation." Afterward Støre acknowledged "big differences in views" with Putin, the BBC reported.

What the Kremlin says

The Kremlin's account said the call was made at the request of the Finnish and Norwegian side and covered Putin's talks with Witkoff in St. Petersburg on October 21. It said all three welcomed an agreement to resume talks among Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi "in early to mid November," meant in part to discuss how to keep both Russia and Ukraine secure once fighting fully stops.

According to the Kremlin, Putin restated what he calls the root causes of the conflict and said a just and lasting peace "would be possible only if the interests of the Russian Federation are considered in full and without any conditions attached." He also faulted what the Kremlin called the "confrontational policies" of the European Union and NATO. The Kremlin said Stubb and Støre stressed international maritime law and freedom of navigation in the Baltic, and that Putin told them about the U.S.-mediated humanitarian operation around Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region and the temporary ceasefire there. The three agreed to keep in direct phone contact.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it "very constructive and practical talks with the leaders of two key neighbouring states," the BBC reported, while saying Moscow did not see the two as speaking for Europe.

Ukraine's response

Stubb and Støre phoned Zelenskyy after the call. He thanked them for their "active support," and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the call "the right approach," the BBC reported. Zelenskyy wrote that "Russia must stop dragging out the war," the AP reported.

Doubts from Denmark and Sweden

The call split four governments that usually move together on Russia. "I am very sceptical about this independent initiative by Norway and Finland. It was not coordinated with any of us," Frederiksen said, according to Euronews. "I don't see any signs that Russia desires peace with Europe, neither in the hybrid warfare taking place every single day, nor in Ukraine." Hybrid warfare refers to sabotage, cyberattacks and other hostile acts short of open war. She told reporters she did not know what the two countries thought they could achieve, DW reported.

Støre rejected the criticism. "All our partners and allies were informed in advance," he said, according to The Guardian and Rapporteur, adding that he and Stubb spoke only for their own countries. He also said that "there remain significant differences in our respective positions," The Guardian reported, and that the call, scheduled for 20 minutes, ran to 90.

Kristersson was milder. "My impression is that everyone wants peace except Putin. I have pretty low expectations for this kind of talk," he said, adding that he did not yet know what was discussed and that "talks that make Russia more willing to make a decent peace on Ukraine's terms are, of course, good." Støre responded that Europe should talk with Russia to complement the messages sent by the Trump administration, Euronews reported. There was no official European Union reaction, according to the BBC.

The talks ahead

The Abu Dhabi round would be the first three-way talks among the United States, Ukraine and Russia since the start of the year, the BBC reported. The AP said they are meant to lay the groundwork for detailed peace negotiations.