The Briefing
- Finnish and Norwegian leaders called Vladimir Putin.
- Call preceded upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
- Ukraine was consulted prior to the discussion.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stรธre held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Stubb placed the call from Helsinki alongside Stรธre, who was visiting Finland for a Nordic Council meeting.
The initiative was coordinated in consultation with Ukraine.
The primary aim was to deliver a direct message to Moscow regarding upcoming peace negotiations scheduled for early November in Abu Dhabi.
Delegates from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are expected to attend the Abu Dhabi talks.
Stubb and Stรธre emphasized that both Finland and Norway share land borders with Russia, making regional security a direct priority.
Stubb described the discussion as direct and businesslike.
Following the call with Putin, Stubb and Stรธre spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Stubb described the discussion as direct and businesslike.
Zelenskyy stated via social media that the conversation reinforced the demand for Russia to de-escalate attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Stubb and Stรธre participated strictly as national leaders of Finland and Norway rather than as representatives of the broader European Union.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023 following a historic shift in its security policy prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Norway is a founding member of NATO and also shares a land border with Russia in the Arctic region.
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