Stubb and Støre call Putin ahead of Abu Dhabi talks
The Finnish president and Norway's prime minister spoke with the Russian leader a week after meeting Zelenskyy. They say they are not speaking for Europe.
Finland and Norway have opened a direct line to Moscow. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre phoned Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to press for a resumption of negotiations, saying the war in Ukraine will end only through talks, Finland's presidency said.
The call followed a meeting in Oslo on Oct. 20 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and was held in consultation with Kyiv. Both countries border Russia and are allies of Ukraine. Helsinki stressed that the two leaders spoke for their own countries, not for Europe.
"The discussion was frank and substantive," Stubb said, adding that ending the war "requires direct discussions." Støre stressed the importance of de-escalation.
The Kremlin put a different emphasis on the call. In its readout, Putin repeated that a lasting peace is possible only if Russia's interests are fully taken into account, "without conditions," and blamed EU and NATO confrontation for prolonging the fighting. He also told his counterparts about a U.S.-brokered humanitarian operation near Oleshki, in the Kherson region, and a temporary ceasefire in that sector of the front. Finland's statement does not mention it.
The three also discussed security in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe. Finland and Norway pointed to their shared interest in a stable, predictable region. Moscow added that the three agreed to keep direct phone contact.
Far from the front, including in Mexico, the effect would be indirect: what comes out of these negotiations could move energy and grain prices.
Talks among Russia, Ukraine and the United States are set to resume in Abu Dhabi in early to mid-November, the Kremlin said. Helsinki gave no date.
