Unusual move: President of Finland and Prime Minister of Norway called Putin

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre jointly spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to advance the end of the war in Ukraine. The call, coordinated in advance with Ukraine, is one of the rare direct contacts between European leaders and Putin since the invasion. The move follows the summit in Oslo and the meeting of US envoy Witkoff with Putin.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre jointly spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to advance the end of the war in Ukraine. The call, initiated by the two leaders from Helsinki and coordinated in advance with Ukraine, is one of the rare direct contacts between European leaders and Putin since the invasion. Stubb said the conversation was open and substantive, emphasizing that as neighboring countries to Russia, the war's outcome will have a direct impact on their security. Støre added that the war entails enormous human and material costs and that they stressed the importance of de-escalation. The move is a direct continuation of the summit held on October 20 in Oslo, attended by Stubb, Støre, Zelenskyy, and US envoy Steve Witkoff. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, participated in the discussions via video call. The day after the summit, Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg, after which the Kremlin announced that Moscow is ready to resume US-mediated peace talks in November. The joint statement emphasized that Stubb and Støre acted solely as leaders of their countries, and that resuming negotiations does not change their commitment to Ukraine's security. No breakthrough or new agreements were announced. The next test is expected in planned talks in Abu Dhabi.