Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, the first direct contact between European leaders and Putin since July 2025. The Putin call with Stubb and Støre, placed from Helsinki, focused on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine ahead of planned U.S.-Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi.
Neither side reported a breakthrough. Stubb called the conversation “frank and substantive,” while Støre said there were “big differences in views,” according to the BBC. All three leaders agreed to keep talking directly by phone.
What Finland and Norway said about the call
In a joint statement, the two leaders’ offices said Finland and Norway initiated the call to discuss “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” and diplomatic efforts to end it. The aim, they said, was to pass messages directly to Putin about future negotiations, and the call was tied to the upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi. It followed an Oct. 20 meeting in Oslo and was held in consultation with Ukraine, the statement said. Stubb added that it was also prepared in consultation with the United States after the Oslo meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, the BBC reported.
Both countries border Russia, and the statement stressed their shared interest in stability in the Baltic Sea region and the High North. “We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Stubb said. Støre said the war “comes with enormous human and material costs” and that the two leaders “stressed the importance of de-escalation.” They also said Finland and Norway would keep supporting Ukraine.
The leaders were explicit that they did not represent the rest of the continent. “We’ve not set out to speak on behalf of anyone other than ourselves,” Støre said.
Kremlin readout of the Putin call with Stubb and Støre
The Kremlin said the call took place at the request of the Finnish and Norwegian side and covered the Ukraine conflict in light of Putin’s Oct. 21 talks with Witkoff in St. Petersburg. According to the Kremlin readout, the leaders welcomed an agreement to resume trilateral Russia-Ukraine-U.S. talks in Abu Dhabi in early to mid-November, meant in part to discuss security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine once hostilities fully stop.
Putin repeated what the Kremlin calls the “root causes” of the conflict and said a just and lasting peace was possible only if Russia’s interests were taken into account “in full and without any conditions attached,” the readout said. He also accused the European Union and NATO of confrontational policies that prolong the fighting. The Kremlin said Baltic Sea security was discussed and that Stubb and Støre reaffirmed the importance of international maritime law and freedom of navigation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not view Finland and Norway as speaking for Europe, but described the conversation as “very constructive and practical talks with the leaders of two key neighbouring states,” the BBC reported.
Oleshky truce holds as Russian strikes continue
Putin also told the two leaders about a U.S.-mediated humanitarian operation near the occupied town the Kremlin called Alyoshki, known in Ukraine as Oleshky, and a temporary ceasefire in the Kherson sector to make it possible, according to the readout. That truce began at 3 a.m. Kyiv time on Oct. 27 and is set to run until 10:59 p.m. on Nov. 1, the Institute for the Study of War reported, citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, and Peskov both said no violations had been recorded. Our earlier report explains how the Oleshky ceasefire was brokered.
Elsewhere, the fighting went on. A late Monday Russian strike on Kyiv killed one person and wounded eight, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, and Zelensky said ballistic missiles hit a university campus, according to The Guardian. Russian forces launched ballistic missiles and 280 drones at Ukraine overnight into Oct. 27, the ISW reported. We covered the ballistic missile attack on Kyiv as it happened.
European reaction and the road to Abu Dhabi
Zelensky said Stubb and Støre briefed him after the call and thanked them for their “active support,” and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it “the right approach,” the BBC reported. Other Nordic capitals were cooler. The Danish and Swedish prime ministers said the call had not been coordinated with them, and Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson said, “I think Europe should stick together rather than going solo.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Stubb told him Europe’s position on the Abu Dhabi talks was “moderately optimistic.” There was no official EU reaction.
The last European leader to speak with Putin was French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025, shortly before Putin’s summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska. Europeans have largely been outside the U.S.-led talks since then. The planned Abu Dhabi round would be the first trilateral U.S.-Ukraine-Russia meeting since early this year, according to the BBC. For Kyiv’s opening position, see our report on Zelensky’s readiness to freeze the front lines.
Sources
- Office of the Prime Minister of Norway: Stubb and Støre held a call with President Putin
- Office of the President of Finland: Phone call with President Putin
- Kremlin: Telephone conversation with Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre
- BBC News: Norway and Finland leaders hold rare call with Putin
- Institute for the Study of War: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Oct. 27, 2026
- The Guardian: Ukraine war briefing, Oct. 27, 2026
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