Overview
- Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a direct phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that they described as "frank and substantive" and said was held in consultation with Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was briefed after the call and that the Nordic leaders told Putin concrete de‑escalatory steps were needed on energy and infrastructure.
- The Kremlin’s readout framed the discussion around what it called EU/NATO "confrontational" policy, stressed that Russia’s interests must be taken into account, and said the sides agreed to keep direct telephone contact.
- The conversation is linked to preparatory diplomacy for possible US‑mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in November, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no date has been set and the process remains developing.
- The initiative exposed strains in Western coordination, with some European leaders publicly criticising Finland and Norway for acting without wider consultation, a dynamic that could complicate unified support for Ukraine and diplomatic pacing on the ground.