The leaders of Finland and Norway held a rare call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, a conversation their offices said was aimed at "future negotiations to help to end the war" in Ukraine.1,2,3,4
The 90-minute call was held from the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and was initiated by Finland and Norway, which both border Russia, to "discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe," the leaders' offices said. The offices said the initiative was not on behalf of "Europe as a whole."1,3
Stubb and Støre are the first European leaders to contact Putin since French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with him in July 2025. The contact comes as several European leaders have said Europe should be trying to establish direct contacts with the Kremlin, following a softening of the US administration's position on Russia.1
Stubb described the call as "frank and substantive," saying the outcome of the war will "have a direct impact on our and the broader European security." Støre said the conversation showed "big differences in views," and added: "The war comes with enormous human and material costs... The suffering and destruction will impact generations."1,3
Putin said "confrontational" European Union and Nato policies were prolonging the war, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. The Kremlin said Putin told the leaders that "a just and lasting peace" would only be possible if Russia's interests were considered. The three leaders agreed to continue their direct phone communication, the Kremlin statement added, and Støre said all of their allies had been informed of the call ahead of time.1
Reactions among European leaders varied, according to the BBC's reporting. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was "very sceptical" of Tuesday's dialogue, telling Danish broadcaster DR that it had not been "co-ordinated with any of the rest of us." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Stubb had informed him that Europe's position on the upcoming talks in the United Arab Emirates was "moderately optimistic."1
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with the two Nordic leaders after their conversation with Putin and said he was grateful for the "active support" of his Finnish and Norwegian counterparts. Zelensky had also met Stubb, Støre and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo last week. He said part of the leaders' discussions with Putin had centred on November's trilateral talks to be held in Abu Dhabi, and that he had discussed with them "various formats for our engagement with partners in Europe that could be useful in further supporting diplomacy, our defense, and our shared security."1
The call comes amid strained relations between the United States, Ukraine and its European allies. The BBC reported that relations had been souring since US President Donald Trump agreed to lift some sanctions on Russia, allowing it to export oil to the US. After Witkoff met Zelensky and the two Nordic leaders in Oslo, he travelled on to St Petersburg to meet Putin, and Ukraine, Russia and the United States then agreed to resume three-way negotiations that Russia had stopped for months.1
Moscow has regularly mocked European leaders and accused the European Union of prolonging the war by supplying Ukraine with weapons. Last weekend, however, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said having a European negotiator at the peace talks table would be "good."1
Overnight attacks on Kyiv hit transport infrastructure, with officials in the city saying the South Bridge was struck in attacks that included 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones. Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck again while emergency crews were still dealing with the aftermath of the initial strikes. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Telegram that its forces had targeted transport infrastructure in Kyiv and a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region, along with industrial sites and cargo vessels it said were serving military purposes.4
Russian attacks also caused deaths and injuries in the cities of Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. Officials in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said a drone strike on a bus killed one person and injured 30 others. In the Russian city of Bryansk, near the Ukrainian border, one person was killed and six others were wounded in a drone attack.4
The attacks come as the warring sides prepare for talks. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow said they had agreed to hold United States-mediated technical meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November. Zelensky has described the Abu Dhabi meetings as trilateral talks, and the leaders' call with Putin touched on them.1,4
