Finland and Norway leaders call Putin to urge end to Ukraine war

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 20:03 · Archive

Finland's president and Norway's prime minister have phoned Vladimir Putin to urge him to end the war in Ukraine, breaking with Western practice of avoiding direct Kremlin contact.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere have called Russian President Vladimir Putin to urge him to end the war in Ukraine. The call breaks with longstanding practice among Western European leaders of avoiding direct contact with the Kremlin.

The leaders spoke to Putin for about 90 minutes and subsequently called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a joint statement, they linked the initiative to planned peace discussions between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials in Abu Dhabi next month, described as the first such talks since February. Stubb said the discussion was 'frank and substantive' and stressed that 'ending the war requires direct discussions'. He added that Ukraine had sought the opening of a new communications channel and that Europe could no longer be a bystander to peace efforts, giving Russia 'the silent treatment'.

Stoere said he and Stubb had 'stressed the importance of de-escalation'. Both leaders voiced strong support for Ukraine. The call comes after US President Donald Trump appeared to shift his position in favour of Russia and US ties with Ukraine hit their lowest point in 18 months.

Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on how to end the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022, with long-range air strikes by both sides increasing this year whilst battle lines have remained largely static. The Kremlin's readout of the call did not suggest any softening of Putin's position.

How it is being reported

• Two leaders urge Putin to end Ukraine war in rare callFinland's president and Norway's prime minister have jettisoned the practice of most European leaders of avoiding contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.The West Australian · 27 Oct, 19:28
• Two leaders urge Putin to end Ukraine war in rare callFinland's president and Norway's prime minister have jettisoned the practice of most European leaders of avoiding contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Perth Now · 27 Oct, 19:28

In this story: Alexander Stubb · Jonas Gahr Stoere · Vladimir Putin · Volodymyr Zelenskiy · Donald Trump · Finland · Norway · Ukraine

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