Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday 27 October 2026, in a break with the longstanding practice among Western European leaders of shunning direct contact with the Kremlin. The call lasted about 90 minutes, according to Støre, and the two leaders then spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A 90-minute call

The call was a follow-up to a meeting in Oslo on 20 October and was held in consultation with Ukraine, according to the Norwegian government's press release. Stubb described the discussion as frank and substantive and said ending the war requires direct discussions; Støre said they stressed de-escalation. Both voiced strong support for Ukraine.

No sign of compromise

In a joint statement, the initiative was linked to planned Russia-Ukraine-US peace discussions in Abu Dhabi next month, the first since February. The Kremlin's readout showed no softening of Putin's position, with Putin reported as insisting any lasting peace must fully take Russia's interests into account.

The move drew criticism within Europe: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned against countries acting alone, and Sweden's Ulf Kristersson expressed little hope of a breakthrough. Stubb and Støre said they acted only for their own countries, not on behalf of Europe as a whole.

Sources: Government of Norway and SRN News (Reuters).