Finland and Norway call Putin, drawing criticism from Denmark and Sweden
President Stubb and Prime Minister Støre urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin signaled no compromise, while Copenhagen and Stockholm voiced skepticism about the solo move.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a rare phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted about 90 minutes. The two leaders urged Putin to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and negotiate a stable peace settlement. Stubb described the discussion as “frank and substantive” and said ending the war requires direct discussions. Both leaders then spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Kremlin showed no sign of compromise. Its readout said a just and lasting peace requires that the “legitimate interests” of Russia be taken into account “fully and unconditionally,” and accused EU and NATO countries of prolonging the fighting. Stubb and Støre stressed that they spoke for their own countries, not on behalf of Europe.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was very skeptical of the initiative, which she said had not been coordinated with Denmark or the other Nordic leaders. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his impression was that everyone wants peace except Putin. According to Euronews, a new round of talks is expected in Abu Dhabi in early November, and Brussels is preparing a joint Commission and Council team.