Nordic Leaders Hold Rare Direct Call with Putin to Discuss Ukraine War

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a rare joint phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Their offices stated that the initiative was not on behalf of "Europe as a whole."

The leaders, whose countries share a border with Russia, initiated the conversation from Helsinki to explore "future negotiations to help to end the war." They emphasized the "enormous human and material costs" of the conflict and its potential long-term impact on generations. Stubb described the call as "frank and substantive," noting that the war's outcome would "have a direct impact on our and the broader European security."

Following the call, Putin asserted that "confrontational" European Union and NATO policies were prolonging the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with both Stubb and Støre after their conversation with Putin. Zelensky had met with the two Nordic leaders, along with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, in Oslo the previous week. He expressed gratitude for their "active support."

According to Zelensky, part of the discussions between the Nordic leaders and Putin centered on upcoming trilateral talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in November. Zelensky also mentioned discussing "various formats for our engagement with partners in Europe that could be useful in further supporting diplomacy, our defense, and our shared security."

Stubb and Støre's call marks the first direct communication between European leaders and Vladimir Putin since French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with him in July 2025. The initiative followed earlier discussions held in Oslo on October 20, after which Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Putin. Those talks had led Ukraine, Russia, and the United States to agree to resume three-way negotiations that had been stalled for months.

However, the dialogue has drawn skepticism from some European counterparts. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed concern, stating, "It hasn't been co-ordinated with any of the rest of us."