Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, 2026, breaking a longstanding Western European diplomatic freeze. The leaders urged an end to the war ahead of upcoming trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, drawing sharp criticism from other European allies.
The diplomatic outreach opened on Tuesday from Finland and Norway, whose leaders held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre directly contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin to convey messages regarding future negotiations. Both leaders emphasized that their initiative was coordinated with Kyiv and served as a direct channel before scheduled trilateral meetings between delegations from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in the United Arab Emirates. The conversation, originally scheduled for only 20 minutes, lasted 90 minutes according to Støre’s office.
Finnish and Norwegian Leaders Defend the 90-Minute Outreach
Western European leaders have largely avoided direct communication with the Kremlin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, relying instead on strict diplomatic isolation. Defying that convention, the two Nordic heads of government argued that their geographic proximity makes direct dialogue essential. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security
, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement. Both Finland and Norway stressed that their leaders were speaking as representatives of their respective countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the Finland-Norway call with Vladimir Putin, saying the initiative had not been coordinated with other EU partners. She said Europe must preserve unity and avoid individual diplomatic initiatives. #Europe pic.twitter.com/ZqA1Ae38cm
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre defended the decision against regional skepticism by pointing to the necessity of maintaining diplomatic avenues outside of Washington. Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre noted that the call highlighted big differences in views on Ukraine. Stubb added that ending the war requires direct discussions, and both leaders confirmed that Finnish and Norwegian support for Ukraine would continue.
In the times we live in, it cannot be that only the US administration has a channel to talk to the Russian leadership. European countries must be able to do that as well.
Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Prime Minister
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen Criticizes the Solo Initiative
The call immediately triggered friction within Northern Europe. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen voiced sharp opposition to the outreach during the Helsinki summit, arguing that individual states should not bypass collective European alignment. Frederiksen stated that she was skeptical of the call and that it had not been coordinated with others, adding that she did not know what the two countries thought could be achieved with it.
Frederiksen maintained that European nations must stick together rather than going solo
when dealing with Moscow, stating she sees no sign that Russia wants peace with Europe either in the hybrid war continuing daily or in Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson echoed those reservations, telling Swedish media that he maintained low expectations for the conversation given that Russia shows no genuine desire for peace. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that he had been informed in advance of the plans but warned Stubb and Støre that absolute caution and vigilance are necessary in such contacts, adding that the European side retained a very restrained optimistic impression regarding upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi. A European Commission spokesperson also commented that there is a shared interest in putting an end to this horrific war, emphasizing a commitment to achieve peace that will be just and sustainable.
Kremlin Readout and Ukraine Position on Upcoming Abu Dhabi Talks
The Kremlin’s official readout indicated no immediate shift in Moscow’s stance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the discussion offered nothing new and suggested that European countries were merely seeking entry into the negotiation framework. According to the Russian presidential press service, Putin reiterated that achieving a long-term peace requires taking the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation fully into account while blaming EU and NATO confrontational policies for prolonging the conflict. During the call, Putin assessed the current situation in the conflict zone and pointed to the root causes of the conflict.
Following the call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke directly with Stubb and Støre to review the discussion. Zelenskyy reported that the Nordic leaders made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding Ukraine’s energy sector and infrastructure. David Arakhamia, the head of President Zelenskiy’s ruling faction in parliament, called it the biggest de-escalation since 2022.
