Leaders of Finland and Norway held a phone call with Putin on Ukraine for the first time in more than a year

First contact in more than a year

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The initiative came from the Western leaders, who wanted to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end it. According to Kun.uz, the purpose of the call, as stated by the Office of the President of Finland, was to 'directly convey to President Putin Ukraine's position on the peace talks to be held in Abu Dhabi.' This is Putin's first contact with European leaders who support Ukraine in more than a year: he last spoke with a European leader in July 2025, with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Different assessments of the call

The Kremlin confirmed that the call took place. According to the Kremlin press service, Putin assessed the 'current situation' in Ukraine, recalled the 'root causes of the conflict,' and pointed to 'the policy of confrontation by EU and NATO countries, which leads to a resolution through military action.' The European side described the call differently: the leaders of Finland and Norway also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and briefed him on the content of the conversation with Putin. 'Alex and Jonas made it clearly understood to the Russian leadership that real steps are needed to reduce the tension around our energy sector and infrastructure,' Kun.uz quotes Zelensky as saying. According to him, preparations for a trilateral meeting at the level of representatives of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia were also discussed.

Context: Witkoff's route and the timing of the meeting

Stubb's office emphasized that the call with Putin was a continuation of the meeting in Oslo on October 20, where Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Zelensky with the participation of Støre and Stubb. After that, Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg for a meeting with Putin, then returned to Oslo and from there flew to the United States. The result of the trip was an agreement on a trilateral meeting involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia; Abu Dhabi was chosen as the venue. According to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, it will take place after November 4 — that is, after the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3, in which, according to forecasts, the Republicans may lose their majority in Congress. Ushakov also stated that during the peace talks it will be necessary to negotiate 'with Europe as a whole'; Europeans, in turn, are looking for a negotiator capable of representing the interests of the European Union in the discussions on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.