Finland and Norway Leaders Call Putin to Urge an End to the War in Ukraine

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Helsinki. They urged him to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

The call breaks with a longstanding practice among Western European leaders of shunning direct contact with the Kremlin since Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022, Reuters reported. Stubb and Store initiated the call, and it was held in consultation with Ukraine.

Messages for Abu Dhabi, and a call with Zelenskiy

The two leaders wanted to discuss the war and diplomatic efforts to end it, and to convey messages directly to Putin about upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi on future negotiations, the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland said in press release 66/2026. The call was a follow-up to a meeting in Oslo on October 20.

After speaking with Putin, the Nordic leaders also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to a Zelenskiy aide cited by Reuters.

Stubb and Store took the call as leaders of their own countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole. Both stressed that Finland and Norway will continue their longstanding support for Ukraine.

Stubb said: "The discussion was frank and substantive. 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."

Store said: "The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation."

No sign of compromise from the Kremlin

The Kremlin readout of the call did not suggest Putin signalled any compromise from previously stated positions, Reuters reported. The readout said: "It was emphasized that achieving a just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account."

A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin told Stubb and Store that Russia would not compromise over its aim to capture the whole of Ukraine's Donbas region. The same source said French President Emmanuel Macron was the last EU leader to speak with Putin by phone, in a call in July this year that was not made public and did not yield results.

Denmark criticises the call

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the Finnish and Norwegian decision to talk to Putin, saying she saw no signs that Russia wants peace. Speaking to Danish public broadcaster DR, she said: "I think Europe should stick together rather than going solo."

No agreement or concession was reported from the call. What changed on Tuesday was the channel: two leaders of countries that border or watch Russia closely chose to speak to the Kremlin directly, in consultation with Ukraine, while restating that their support for Ukraine continues.