Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine^1,2.

The Finnish presidency said the conversation was meant to convey messages about future negotiations ahead of planned meetings in Abu Dhabi and that it followed talks in Oslo on Oct. 20 held in consultation with Ukraine². The Guardian described the call as lasting about 90 minutes¹. Meduza said it was Putin’s first contact with European leaders who support Ukraine since a July 2025 conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron².

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Stubb and Støre briefed him afterward². “Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said, according to Meduza². He said they also discussed preparations for a trilateral meeting of Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian negotiating teams².

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, speaking in Helsinki with his Finnish and Norwegian counterparts, said the call had been coordinated with Kyiv and that Ukraine was seeking new momentum in talks, including a possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, The Guardian reported¹. Sybiha said Kyiv was ready for a trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates next month¹.

The Kremlin confirmed the call, saying Putin assessed the situation in Ukraine, cited what Moscow calls the root causes of the conflict, and pointed to what it described as confrontational EU and NATO policies^1,2. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters, as cited by Meduza, that Putin said Russia would not abandon its goal of capturing all of the Donbas and that the European leaders answered that a just peace was necessary². That account is not independently confirmed in The Guardian’s live coverage¹.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was skeptical of the engagement and that it had not been coordinated with other European leaders^1,2. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said no solution could be found without Ukraine’s involvement, and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said any deal must be on Ukraine’s terms, according to The Guardian¹.

Russian aide Yuri Ushakov has said a U.S.-Ukraine-Russia meeting in Abu Dhabi would take place after Nov. 4, following U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3, Meduza reported². What, if anything, the call changed in Russia’s or Ukraine’s negotiating positions remains unknown^1,2.

Sources

1. The GuardianKyiv hopes for ‘new momentum’ in peace talks after Finnish and Norwegian leaders’ call with Putin – as it happenedOct 27, 12:23 PM
2. MeduzaFinnish and Norwegian leaders discuss Ukraine peace with Putin as a source close to the Kremlin warns of escalating hybrid warfare with EuropeOct 27, 1:27 PM

Read the original at The Guardian ↗