The President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Norway discussed with Putin the war in Ukraine and Europe’s involvement in negotiations on security

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine and the future of European security. The conversation was one of the rare direct contacts between European leaders allied with Kyiv and the Kremlin since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Stubb described the discussion as “frank and substantive,” stressing that Finland and Norway are neighboring countries of Russia and that ending the war will have a direct impact on their security and that of Europe. The two leaders maintain that Europeans must take part in discussions about the continent’s future.

According to the Kremlin, Putin told them that the confrontational policies of the European Union and NATO are prolonging the conflict. The Russian leader said peace is possible only if Russia’s interests are taken into account “fully and unconditionally.”

The initiative was criticized by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said she was “very skeptical” because the discussion had not been coordinated with other European partners. Stubb and Støre recently met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin announced that Russia is willing to resume U.S.-mediated peace negotiations in November.