Two leaders from Ukraine’s closest circle of backers have phoned Vladimir Putin directly for the first time in this war – unannounced and, as dpa reports, without coordination among Europeans; according to Støre, partners and allies had been informed in advance. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke to the Kremlin leader on Tuesday, in consultation with Kyiv, according to their joint statement.
The stated aim was to “convey messages directly to President Putin ahead of future negotiations”. Stubb called the conversation “frank and substantive” and said ending the war requires direct discussions, because its outcome affects the security of all Europe. Støre stressed the importance of de-escalation. Both said they spoke for their own countries, not for Europe.
What the Kremlin took from it
Moscow’s reading differs. According to the Kremlin readout as relayed by dpa and others, Putin blamed the “confrontational policy” of EU and NATO states for prolonging the fighting and repeated that lasting peace is possible only if Russia’s “legitimate interests” are taken into account. The three agreed to keep direct phone contact; the Kremlin had already signalled openness to involving Europeans after the talks with Witkoff. Putin also told his callers about the local truce in Oleshky, which we reported earlier.
The backstory: on 20 October Stubb and Støre met Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo. Witkoff then went to see Putin, and both sides agreed to resume trilateral Russia–Ukraine–US talks, due in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. The call is therefore part of a run-up, not a freelance stunt. Zelensky thanked the two and wrote that they had made clear to Putin that “real de-escalation steps” are needed on energy and infrastructure. Russia continues to hit Ukraine’s power system ahead of a fifth wartime winter.
Why Copenhagen is sceptical
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told broadcaster DR she was “very sceptical”: the initiative was not coordinated with partners, she sees no sign that Russia wants peace with Europe, and Europe should stay together rather than act alone. In Helsinki, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo sought to reassure, saying the government had been informed and that the call was not about Finland’s bilateral relations with Russia but about supporting Ukraine (Yle). No reactions from Berlin or Brussels appeared in the reports we reviewed.
Our assessment: the call does not change the core of the conflict for now – Moscow’s demands stand as they were. Its weight lies elsewhere. Until now the line to Putin ran almost exclusively through Washington; there is now a second, European channel, however small. That could strengthen Europe’s voice in Abu Dhabi – or, as Frederiksen fears, reinforce the image of a divided Europe that the Kremlin likes to exploit. Which one happens will probably depend on whether the “direct contacts” actually continue and whether Brussels and Berlin back the channel. This is a forecast, held with limited confidence.
A caveat: sources disagree on how “first” this contact is. AP calls it the first known direct contact since shortly after the 2022 invasion; The National notes that Emmanuel Macron last spoke to Putin in July 2025. All that is certain is that it is the first such call for Stubb and Støre in this war. There are also two versions of how long the Oleshky truce lasts: until Saturday (AP) or until 22:59 on 1 November (Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, per The National).
Sources: President of Finland, t-online/dpa, ORF, Yle, AP, The National
