Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre engaged in separate telephone discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. These conversations are a prelude to planned peace talks, anticipated to occur in Abu Dhabi in early November, involving Ukrainian, Russian, and US negotiators.
According to Stubb’s office, the discussion with Putin concentrated on these forthcoming meetings. Following the call, Stubb characterized the exchange as frank and substantive, emphasizing that the war’s outcome would have significant implications for Finland’s security and the broader European area. He underlined the necessity of direct talks to achieve conflict resolution.
After the conversation with Putin, Stubb also communicated with Zelenskyy. An aide to Zelenskyy confirmed the Ukrainian president subsequently spoke with both Nordic leaders. During these discussions, Stubb and Støre reaffirmed their nations’ ongoing support for Ukraine. They also clarified that their dialogues did not reflect a consolidated stance on behalf of all European countries.
The calls follow recent diplomatic engagements, including meetings in Oslo between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Zelenskyy, and the Nordic leaders, as well as discussions between Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg. The Kremlin has expressed a willingness to re-engage in US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine, potentially marking the first such negotiations since February.