Finnish and Norwegian leaders hold telephone talks with Vladimir Putin

On October 27, 2026, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The initiative for the talks, which were conducted in coordination with Ukraine, aims to explore prospects for a peace agreement. Following the call, President Stubb emphasized that the discussion was frank and substantive, noting that ending the war requires direct dialogue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly spoke with the Finnish and Norwegian leaders shortly after their conversation with the Russian president.

These diplomatic efforts follow a series of recent meetings held by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who traveled to Russia last week after conferring with Zelenskyy and Nordic leaders in Oslo. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, most Western European leaders have largely avoided direct contact with Putin. The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the communications. This development marks a shift, as Moscow has frequently accused European governments of escalating the conflict by providing military aid to Ukraine and refusing to engage in direct diplomatic dialogue.