Finland and Norway leaders call Putin, reopening direct talks ahead of Abu Dhabi round

The call

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, with the call placed from Helsinki. According to the Finnish presidency, the aim was to carry a direct message to Putin ahead of future negotiations, and the call is linked to the next round of talks planned in Abu Dhabi. The presidency also stressed that the two leaders spoke as heads of their own countries, not on behalf of Europe. Stubb's office described the discussion as frank and substantive and said direct talks are needed to end the war. The presidency reported that the call was coordinated with Kyiv.

Earlier contacts

The call continues contacts that began in Oslo on 20 October. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo, and Stubb and Støre also met the two men there. The following day Witkoff travelled to St Petersburg, where he met Putin, who committed to resuming trilateral negotiations. Stubb and Støre framed their call as part of a renewed round of diplomacy aimed at a negotiated settlement, carried out in coordination with Ukraine. The stated goal was to put Ukraine's position directly to Putin before the Abu Dhabi talks.

Moscow's position

After the Putin and Witkoff meeting, the Kremlin said Russia is prepared to resume US-mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine in November, the first such round since February. Peskov said Russia regards Norway and Finland as new participants in efforts to settle the war, and that Moscow would see whether they could take on that role. Russia has frequently accused European governments of fuelling the war by arming Ukraine and refusing to talk with Moscow. That stance contrasts with the approach of US President Donald Trump, who has spoken with Putin and tried, so far without success, to broker a peace agreement.

Why Europe is seeking a seat

Stubb and Støre both pointed to their countries' shared border with Russia as grounds for taking part in the discussions. Stubb said the outcome of the war would have a direct effect on the security of both countries and of Europe as a whole, and that ending it requires direct talks. The call is the first direct contact between Putin and top European leaders allied with Kyiv since Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Russian counterpart in July 2025. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, most European leaders have largely avoided contact with Putin, with a few exceptions.