Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, 27 October, speaking from Helsinki, and then held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Reuters reported, citing Stubb's office.

Source: Reuters

The call was a follow-up to a meeting in Oslo on 20 October and was held in consultation with Ukraine, the Finnish president's office and the Norwegian government said in separate statements. Its aim was to convey messages directly to Putin about future negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, ahead of upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi.

Source: Office of the President of Finland

Zelenskiy said on Friday that negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to technical-level meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November. The Kremlin said after recent talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg that Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace talks in November, for the first time since February, Reuters reported.

Why this call stands out

Western European leaders have mostly shunned direct contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Stubb and Stoere stressed they spoke as leaders of their own countries — both of which border Russia — and not on behalf of Europe as a whole.

"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 in a statement.

Source: Norwegian Government

Stoere said the two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation. "The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations," he said. Both leaders emphasised that Finland and Norway will continue their longstanding support for Ukraine, and that the war must end and negotiations resume.

Zelenskiy's aide told reporters that the Ukrainian president spoke with Stubb and Stoere afterwards, Reuters reported. No breakthrough was announced, and neither side published any Russian response to the call in the statements reviewed.