Finnish president, Norwegian PM spoke with Putin on Ukraine war

Key facts

• Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 27.
• The call focused on efforts to end the war in Ukraine and stressed the importance of de-escalation.
• The leaders stated that the war's outcome will directly impact European security and requires direct discussions.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Oct. 27 as part of international efforts to secure an end to the war in Ukraine. Stubb said the discussion was frank and substantive, emphasizing that the war's outcome will directly impact European security and that ending it requires direct dialogue. The two leaders, who are firm allies of Ukraine, were not speaking as official representatives of Europe as a whole. The call was held in consultation with Ukraine. Støre said the European leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation in the call with Putin, noting the war's enormous human and material costs. The conversation comes ahead of trilateral peace talks expected in Abu Dhabi in November between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. Finland has provided 35 different packages of financial support to Ukraine.