The leaders of Finland and Norway spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine ahead of a trilateral meeting scheduled for next month.
On Tuesday, 27 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and building peace in Europe.
The offices of the Finnish and Norwegian leaders stated that the contact aimed to explore opportunities for future negotiations to help end the Ukraine war. This contact was made on behalf of Finland and Norway themselves, not representing "all of Europe," but allied nations were informed in advance.
President Stubb said the conversation was "frank and substantive," emphasizing that the war's outcome will "directly affect the security of our countries and Europe as a whole."
Prime Minister Støre noted that the 90-minute talk revealed "significant differences of opinion," adding that "war brings enormous human and material losses... this pain and destruction will impact generations to come."
President Putin said that the European Union’s (EU) and NATO’s confrontational policies have prolonged the war, asserting that "a just and lasting peace" can only occur when "Russia’s interests are taken into account."
A statement from the Kremlin government said Putin and the leaders of Finland and Norway agreed to maintain direct telephone communication channels.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Denmark’s DR television that she is highly skeptical of the Tuesday talks, as they were conducted without "coordination with the rest of Europe."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said President Stubb informed him that Europe’s stance on the upcoming trilateral negotiations (Ukraine, Russia, U.S.) in the United Arab Emirates in November is “cautiously optimistic.”
Last week, Stubb, Støre, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held discussions with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo, Norway, before Witkoff traveled to meet Putin in Saint Petersburg.
Following these talks, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. agreed to hold a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi in November.
.bbc