World · 2026-10-27 · Afternoon briefing

Nordic leaders in rare call with Putin over Ukraine talks

The leaders of Finland and Norway held a rare 90-minute phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to explore future negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. The offices of President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stressed the initiative was not taken on behalf of "Europe as a whole". The contact is the first of its kind since the Russian president last spoke with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

The discussion, initiated from Helsinki, was described as "frank" but concluded with "big differences in views". Following the call, the Nordic leaders briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The move drew a mixed reception elsewhere in Europe; Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was "very sceptical", noting the dialogue had not been "co-ordinated with any of the rest of us".

The call precedes the resumption of trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, scheduled for November in Abu Dhabi. Those talks were revived after meetings last week involving a US special envoy. Despite Moscow's regular criticism of European leaders, a Kremlin spokesman recently commented that having a European negotiator at the table would be "good".

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• Norway and Finland leaders hold rare call with Putin
• Putin holds rare Ukraine peace talks with Finnish, Norwegian leaders; Zelensky follows up
• Putin holds direct talks with the leaders of Finland and Norway on ending the war
• Finnish and Norwegian leaders hold rare ‘frank and substantive’ call with Putin on Ukraine – Europe live
• Finland and Norway Hold Direct Talks with Putin Ahead of Ukraine Peace Negotiations, Exposing European Divisions

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