Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre engaged in a rare and described as "substantive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, 2026. The leaders confirmed that while the discussion was frank, significant differences remain regarding the conflict in Ukraine. This marks the first direct communication between European leaders and Putin in over a year, a period during which most Western European nations have largely avoided contact with the Russian president following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The call, which also touched upon future negotiations to help end the war, comes as Stubb and Støre are reportedly briefing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the content of their discussions. The leaders have defended their independent initiative to speak with Putin, even amidst criticism from other European officials, such as Denmark's Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Western defense officials, like Wes Streeting, the UK's defense secretary, have warned that Putin is actively testing NATO's resolve through hybrid threats and state-sponsored actions.
Finnish, Norwegian Leaders Hold Rare, 'Substantive' Call With Putin
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Sources
- Norway and Finland leaders hold rare call with Putin — BBC World,
- Norway's prime minister, Finland's president in phone call with Putin. Western European leaders have mostly shunned contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022 — Reddit - World News,
- Finnish and Norwegian leaders hold rare ‘frank and substantive’ call with Putin on Ukraine – Europe live — The Guardian World,