Finland’s Stubb and Norway’s Støre phone Putin from Helsinki, then brief Zelensky on the call

Two countries that border Russia have communicated directly with the Kremlin. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, October 27, calling from Helsinki. The two leaders took charge of organising the call and briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on its content the same day.

The call followed the meeting in Oslo on October 20 and, as the Finnish Presidency clarified, took place in coordination with Kyiv. Its purpose was to convey to the Russian president, without intermediaries, messages about the future negotiations and the meetings to follow in Abu Dhabi. Helsinki made clear that Stubb and Støre spoke on behalf of their own countries and not for the whole of Europe.

What each side says

The Kremlin’s statement says the three leaders welcomed the agreement to resume the trilateral talks of Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, from early to mid-November. On the table will be mainly how to ensure the security of both Russia and Ukraine after a full cessation of hostilities. The discussion took place against the background of Putin’s contacts with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21, as well as Stubb’s and Støre’s recent contacts with Witkoff and Zelensky in Oslo.

Putin repeated that a just and lasting peace requires Russian interests to be taken into account in full and without conditions, noting that the “confrontational policy” of the EU and NATO prolongs the hostilities. He also informed his interlocutors that a humanitarian operation with US mediation is under way near Oleshky and that a temporary ceasefire has been declared in the Kherson sector to make it possible, as Geopolitiki reported. Security in the Baltic and Northern Europe was also discussed, with the Finnish president and the Norwegian prime minister reaffirming the importance of respecting the international law of the sea and freedom of navigation.

“The discussion was candid and substantive. We are neighbours of Russia and the outcome of this war will directly affect our own security and Europe’s security,” Stubb said, adding that direct discussions are needed to end the war. Støre spoke of the enormous human and material cost of the war, with suffering and destruction affecting generations, and said the call stressed the need for de-escalation. The three leaders agreed to keep a direct telephone channel open.

Zelensky is briefed

Zelensky wrote on X that he spoke with the two leaders after their call with Putin and that they had made clear to the Russian president that real steps of de-escalation are needed for Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure. They discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting scheduled for November at the level of the Ukrainian, American and Russian teams. The Ukrainian president has already said that territorial issues will be discussed only at leaders’ level. He stressed that Finland and Norway, as countries bordering Russia, have a particular interest in reliable security arrangements, and concluded: “Russia must stop prolonging the war.” Stubb for his part wrote that they had a good phone conversation with Zelensky and that Finland and Norway will continue to support Ukraine and the efforts for a just and lasting peace.