Finland and Norway secretly discussed calling Putin for months — Politico
Photo: Finnish President Alexander Stubb (Getty Images)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre secretly discussed the idea of calling Russian President Vladimir Putin for several months. One of the reasons for this was a lack of trust in Washington, according to Politico.
Background
The agency notes that in late 2025 and early 2026, US President Donald Trump launched another attempt to end the war in Ukraine. However, in early March, that momentum was interrupted by the US war with Iran.
By October, Trump had returned to the topic of Ukraine, criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for attacks on Russian oil refineries, claiming that the Russian side had behaved normally.
Fearing that the negotiations were heading toward a breakdown, Stubb and Støre intervened. The Norwegian Prime Minister hosted Zelenskyy and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo in an attempt to mend relations. Stubb, who was also present at the meeting, stated that it had put the peace process back on track.
However, 24 hours later, Witkoff once again stunned European leaders by meeting with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg and calling him a "humanitarian."
Following this incident and consultations with Zelenskyy, the leaders of Finland and Norway concluded that they could not allow Trump, Witkoff, and the US President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to be the only Western figures communicating directly with Putin.
How call was planned and reasons behind it
According to the agency, Stubb and Støre are longtime friends, and over the past few months they have been secretly discussing the idea of a joint call to the Kremlin. Both leaders concluded that resuming engagement ahead of the upcoming talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Abu Dhabi would be crucial.
Many officials privately acknowledge that Europeans no longer trusted Washington to protect the interests of either Europe or Ukraine.
"We have to ask the question in Europe if we feel that someone else should have the contact and the discussion on our behalf. Is the feeling that the US should own our objectives?" says one EU government official.
Another high-ranking official states that it is important for Trump not to be the only Western leader communicating with Putin.
"We need pro-Ukraine leaders putting their messages to Putin too," the source adds.
Thus, five years after the start of Russia's diplomatic isolation, Stubb and Støre decided to call the Kremlin. The team from the Scandinavian countries contacted Putin's representatives and agreed on the parameters of the conversation. It was agreed that each side would take turns reading their prepared statements without interruptions from the other.
"Living month by month, thinking that this war will end by Europe not talking to Moscow, I think, is an illusion," the agency quotes the Norwegian Prime Minister.
Why this conversation was important
According to officials, one of the reasons for the phone call was to gauge Putin's state of mind. The Norwegian leader says that Putin was "rational" and "professional" during the talks.
According to Politico, Putin took the idea of talks in Abu Dhabi seriously and told representatives of the Nordic countries that he would instruct his negotiators to prepare for the meeting to determine whether progress was possible.
However, Støre remains unconvinced that Putin was truly open to a deal. Despite all efforts, the Norwegian and Finnish teams do not expect a breakthrough at the Abu Dhabi talks, which will take place on November 10 and 11.
Negotiations in Abu Dhabi
Yesterday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that European representatives would also participate in the peace talks in Abu Dhabi. According to him, a French representative will attend the meeting, but it is not yet known who exactly that will be.
