Finland and Norway Leaders Speak With Putin, Splitting Nordics
WHO:
Euronews.com - Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initiated a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Euronews.com - Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the call; Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson questioned its value.
Euronews.com - Stubb and Støre later phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked them for their “active” support.
Euronews.com - Stubb, Støre, Frederiksen, and Kristersson attended a leaders-level session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki.
BBC News - The call involved the leaders of Norway and Finland speaking directly with Putin.
WHAT:
BBC News - Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Stubb and Støre’s talks with Putin as “very constructive and practical talks with the leaders of two key neighbouring states.”
Euronews.com - The call produced a public split among Nordic leaders: Denmark and Sweden rebuked Finland and Norway for speaking with Putin.
Euronews.com - Stubb and Støre urged Putin to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and engage in meaningful negotiations toward a stable, peaceful settlement.
Euronews.com - Stubb described the discussion as “frank and substantive” and said the war’s outcome would directly affect Finnish, Norwegian, and broader European security.
Euronews.com - Støre said the leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation.
Euronews.com - The call’s read-out said Stubb and Støre spoke as leaders of their respective countries, not on behalf of Europe as a whole.
Euronews.com - Frederiksen said the initiative was not coordinated with other leaders and questioned what it could achieve; she cited Russia’s escalation against Ukraine and said she saw no signs Moscow wanted peace with Europe.
Euronews.com - Frederiksen compared the initiative with previous solo diplomacy, including former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s trip to Moscow to meet Putin.
Euronews.com - Kristersson said he had “pretty low expectations” for direct talks, warned that talks risking division in the European voice were risky, and said talks that encouraged Russia to accept a decent peace on Ukraine’s terms would be good.
Euronews.com - Støre said Europe should speak with Russia to complement messages from the US administration, which he said had a different take on the war.
BBC News - The call was described as the first direct communication between European leaders and Russia’s president in more than a year.
WHERE:
Euronews.com - The Nordic Council session attended by the four leaders was held in Helsinki, Finland.
WHY:
Euronews.com - Stubb and Støre said direct discussion was necessary to end the war and address its implications for European security.
Euronews.com - Denmark and Sweden objected to the call over concerns about Russia’s conduct, the effectiveness of uncoordinated diplomacy, and the risk of dividing Europe’s position.
Euronews.com - The four Nordic countries were described as major bilateral donors to Kyiv and vocal supporters of stronger sanctions on Moscow.
HOW:
Euronews.com - Stubb and Støre had recently hosted a round of peace talks in Oslo.
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 22:12 UTC)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held the first direct talks between European leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin in more than a year, urging him to end the invasion of Ukraine and pursue meaningful negotiations. Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen criticized the uncoordinated call, while Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson questioned its value and warned it could divide Europe; Stubb and Støre later spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked them for their active support. Stubb called the conversation frank and substantive, and Støre said they emphasized de-escalation, while the Kremlin described the talks as constructive and practical.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:09 UTC)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in more than a year, urging him to end the invasion of Ukraine and pursue meaningful negotiations. The call exposed a split among Nordic leaders: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the uncoordinated initiative, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson questioned its value and warned against weakening Europe’s unified position. Stubb and Støre said the talks addressed de-escalation and European security, then called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked them for their active support.