Norway, Finland Leaders Hold Rare Call With Putin
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in a rare contact between Putin and European leaders. The two leaders said they initiated the call to discuss the war in Ukraine and efforts to end it, according to a statement from Finland’s presidency.
What was said
Stubb and Støre took the call from Helsinki. The BBC reports that Stubb described the conversation as “frank and substantive”, saying the war’s outcome will directly affect European security.
Støre said they stressed the importance of de-escalation, according to the Finnish presidency’s press release. The two leaders also said Finland and Norway will continue their longstanding support for Ukraine.
Stubb’s office said the call related to upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to both leaders afterwards, said part of the discussion with Putin concerned trilateral talks planned for Abu Dhabi in November, according to the BBC. A Zelensky aide told Reuters the president spoke with both leaders after the call.
Kremlin and background
The Kremlin confirmed the call. Its readout said the leaders also discussed security and stability in the Baltic Sea and Northern European regions, The Moscow Times reported. The call was the first between the three leaders, AFP reported.
Bloomberg reports that Stubb and Støre initiated the call in consultation with Ukraine. Both leaders stressed that they spoke for their own countries and not on behalf of Europe as a whole.
The call followed a meeting in Oslo on October 20, where Stubb, Støre and Zelensky met US envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff then travelled to Russia to meet Putin, and the sides agreed to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US, according to AFP.
Timeline:
- October 20: Stubb, Støre, Zelensky and Witkoff meet in Oslo.
- Next day: Witkoff meets Putin in St Petersburg, per Reuters.
- October 27: Stubb and Støre call Putin, then Zelensky.
- November: Trilateral talks planned in Abu Dhabi.
Why the call is significant
Reuters notes that Western European leaders have largely avoided contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The BBC says Stubb and Støre are the first European leaders to speak to him since French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025.
Finland and Norway both border Russia, a point Stubb and Støre cited in explaining the call. Reuters says Russia has contrasted European leaders’ stance with that of US President Donald Trump, who has engaged with Putin.
Reactions and what happens next
Peskov confirmed the call, according to AFP. No public criticism of the call from European governments appeared in the sources reviewed.
The next step is the trilateral talks planned for Abu Dhabi in November, which Zelensky linked to the call. No date or agenda has been confirmed in the sources reviewed. This report will be updated as officials release more details.
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