Finnish and Norwegian leaders hold phone call with Putin on war in Ukraine

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 27 October 2026. According to the BBC News description, it is the first direct contact between European leaders and Putin in more than a year.

Purpose of the call

The Finnish president's office said the initiative came from both leaders and was agreed with Ukraine. The Norwegian government said the aim was to put its position on future negotiations to end the war directly to Putin. Finland and Norway stressed that they speak only for their own countries, not for the whole of Europe.

The call followed a meeting in Oslo the previous week. It was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Stubb described the conversation as direct and substantive. In an official statement, he said Finland and Norway are Russia's neighbours, so the outcome of the war directly affects their security and Europe's. Støre stressed that the war carries enormous human and material costs, and said the need for de-escalation was highlighted in the call.

Call with Zelensky

After speaking with Putin, both leaders phoned Zelensky. The Ukrainian president thanked them for a detailed account of the conversation. He wrote that the Russian leader was told clearly that real de-escalation steps are needed regarding Ukraine's energy sector and infrastructure. Støre and Stubb assured him that Norway and Finland will continue to support Ukraine and efforts towards a just and lasting peace.

Zelensky added that they also discussed preparations for a trilateral meeting of Ukrainian, US and Russian negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi, planned for November. He expressed hope that it would open the way to a meeting of the three countries' leaders.

Criticism from Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the initiative. She was in Helsinki for the Nordic Council summit. She pointed out that the two leaders' actions had not been widely coordinated. She told Danish broadcasters DR and TV2: "We should look after European unity rather than going it alone." She added that she does not know what can be achieved through the call.

There is as yet no information about specific agreements reached in the call with Putin. Sources describe it as part of preparations for the November talks in Abu Dhabi.