A 90-minute Putin call that changes little on Ukraine, Europe’s leaders say
Stubb and Støre called from Helsinki, saying they spoke only as Russia’s neighbours, while Copenhagen and Stockholm voiced doubts and the Kremlin held its line.
By
Katharina Brenner
In brief
- Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint call with Vladimir Putin on a Tuesday.
- The leaders said they acted as neighbours of Russia, not for Europe, and briefed Zelenskyy afterwards.
- Denmark and Sweden were sceptical, and the Kremlin restated its conditions for peace.
- Trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia talks are tentatively planned for early November in Abu Dhabi.
On Tuesday, Alexander Stubb, the Finnish head of state, and Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s prime minister, spoke with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, in a single 90-minute conference call. Politico reported on the exchange, which is an unusual point of contact between European leaders and the Kremlin.
A call from Helsinki, made as neighbours
The two leaders placed the call from Helsinki. According to the BBC, Finland and Norway initiated it, and the offices of both leaders said its purpose was to discuss the war in Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end it. Both countries border Russia, and both leaders stressed that this was the capacity in which they acted. “We’ve not set out to speak on behalf of anyone other than ourselves,” said Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s Prime Minister.
The call was held in consultation with Kyiv. Afterwards, Stubb and Støre briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Stubb called the exchange “frank and substantive” and argued that “Ending the war requires direct discussions.” Støre said they had stressed the importance of de-escalation.
They are the first European leaders to speak to Putin since French President Emmanuel Macron did so in July 2025.
Where the call sits in the diplomatic sequence
- On 20 October, Stubb and Støre met in Oslo with Zelenskyy and US envoy Steve Witkoff. The call was described as a follow-up to that meeting.
- Early November is the tentative date for Abu Dhabi to host the next round of talks among the US, Ukraine and Russia, which would be the first three-way discussions of this kind in 2026.
- Among countries outside the EU, Norway stands alone in having committed to cover part of what Kyiv will need financially in 2027, while Finland has so far delivered 35 financial aid packages to Ukraine.
How Moscow and European capitals reacted
According to the Kremlin, Putin told both leaders that Russia’s interests must be taken into account if peace is to be fair and durable. The Kremlin also stated that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov downplayed the initiative, describing it as an attempt by European states to secure a place in any future negotiations.
| Actor | Position |
|---|---|
| Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen | Sceptical; the initiative was not coordinated with other European countries. |
| Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson | Peace must come through strength, not appeasement; he saw no sign Putin wants a truce. |
| European Commission | Took note of a call held solely on a bilateral basis, as a follow-up to Oslo. |
Backing the contact: Zelenskyy thanked the two leaders for their active support of his diplomacy, and the Commission described the call as bilateral.
Doubts: “I think Europe should stick together rather than going solo,” said Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s Prime Minister.
An open channel, but wide differences
Nothing suggests that either side saw the call as a breakthrough toward ending the war, and Støre admitted there were “big differences in views” with Putin. The three men are reported to have agreed to keep talking directly by phone.
Photo: jason hu / Pexels
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