Stubb and Støre press Putin on Ukraine talks as new round of negotiations is expected
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin told the Finnish and Norwegian leaders that any peace settlement must take into account what Moscow calls Russia's legitimate interests. That account came after Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a direct call with the Russian president on Wednesday, urging him to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and engage in meaningful negotiations. The two Nordic leaders said the discussion was frank and substantive, and framed it as part of wider efforts to restart diplomacy.
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Stubb said the war has direct consequences for European security, particularly for neighbouring states, and stressed that ending it requires direct discussion. Støre said the conflict carries enormous human and material costs and that de-escalation is needed. Both leaders also said Finland and Norway would continue supporting Ukraine, including military assistance, while discussing security in the Baltic Sea region and the High North.
After the call, they spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked them for what he described as active diplomatic support. The conversation follows a previous round of peace talks in Oslo, which Stubb and Støre jointly organised with senior officials from Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the European Commission and NATO. Russia was not included in that meeting, although a US special envoy later travelled to St Petersburg to brief Putin on the outcome.
A new round of talks is expected early next month in Abu Dhabi, this time with a Russian delegation, according to the supporting material. Brussels has also signalled readiness for European and Russian officials to sit at the same table, which has not happened in the negotiations so far.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday 27 October in Helsinki. The call followed their meeting in Oslo on 20 October and was held in consultation with Ukraine.
The two leaders said they initiated the call to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe. They said the purpose was to deliver messages directly to Putin on future negotiations aimed at helping end the war.
The call was also linked to upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi. Stubb and Støre said they were speaking as the leaders of their own countries, not on behalf of Europe as a whole.
They said Finland and Norway border Russia and share an interest in stability and predictability in the Baltic Sea region and the High North. Both leaders stressed that their countries will continue longstanding support for Ukraine and that the war must end and negotiations resume.
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