Why Did Finland and Norway Call Putin About Ukraine?

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday 27 October, the first conversation between Stubb and Putin, according to TASS as relayed by URA.ru. Within hours, Volodymyr Zelensky said the two leaders had briefed him, and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen said in Helsinki that she was “very skeptical” of what she called the Norwegian and Finnish initiative on their own.

The call came six days after Putin received US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg and with a date for the next round of Ukraine, Russia and US talks in Abu Dhabi still unset. The Kremlin’s account and the Finnish account of the same conversation list different items.

The Kremlin says the call happened at the request of the Finnish and Norwegian sides. Helsinki and Oslo say it was held in consultation with Ukraine. Putin repeated that a lasting peace needs “full and unconditional” account of Russia’s interests, while Stubb and Støre pressed for de-escalation and a resumption of negotiations. Peskov said on the same day that the Abu Dhabi round has no date. Frederiksen publicly doubted the initiative.

The Russian Foreign Ministry published the Kremlin’s readout on Telegram on 27 October. It states that the call took place “at the request of the Finnish and Norwegian sides” and that the leaders exchanged views on a Ukraine settlement, taking into account Putin’s talks with Witkoff in St Petersburg on 21 October and the contacts that Stubb and Støre had with Witkoff and Zelensky in Oslo. The readout says the three welcomed the agreement to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. In the Kremlin’s wording, those talks aim in particular at the security of Russia and Ukraine after the full end of hostilities. This is the Kremlin’s account, in the ministry’s Russian text, translated by Silent Dossier.

On the substance, the readout says Putin assessed the situation in the conflict zone and “recalled its root causes”. It adds that a just and lasting peace is possible “only with full and unconditional” consideration of Russia’s legitimate interests, and that Putin drew attention to the confrontational policy of EU and NATO countries, which in his view prolongs the fighting. The readout also says the Finnish and Norwegian leaders confirmed the importance of international maritime law and freedom of navigation in the Baltic and the High North. Putin, it says, told them about a US-mediated humanitarian operation near Alyoshki, the Russian name for Oleshky in the Kherson region, and a temporary “regime of silence” there. The three agreed to keep direct contact by phone.

The Finnish President’s Office gave a different emphasis, as carried by Ukrinform. It said the call was held in consultation with Ukraine and related to the upcoming Abu Dhabi meetings, and that the two men took part as leaders of their countries and not on behalf of Europe as a whole. Stubb was quoted as saying: “The discussion was frank and substantive.” He added: “Ending the war requires direct discussions.” Støre said: “In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation.” The press release said they stressed that the war must end and negotiations must resume.

Zelensky, in a statement reported by Ukrinform, thanked them “for the detailed briefing and for their active support for our diplomacy”. He said Finland and Norway, as countries bordering Russia, “have a particular interest”. He added: “There must be peace, de-escalation is needed, and Russia must stop dragging out the war.” According to the same report, Zelensky said the two leaders told Putin that real de-escalation steps are needed on Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure, and that he discussed with them preparations for a trilateral meeting at team level in November.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the call to TASS. Asked about the Abu Dhabi round at a briefing the same day, as TASS reported, he said: “No, there is no date yet.” On the Kherson arrangement he said the General Staff had announced that it “had come into effect at 4:00 a.m.”, and added: “So far, there have been no reports of violations.”

In Helsinki, at a meeting of Nordic prime ministers, Frederiksen was quoted by Dagbladet, citing Danish broadcaster DR, as saying in Danish: “I am very skeptical of this Norwegian and Finnish initiative on their own.” She added: “I cannot see any signs that Russia wants peace with Europe.” These are Silent Dossier’s translations of the Norwegian text. Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson, quoted by SVT, put his position this way: “If talks lead to peace, talks are good.” Dagbladet reported Støre as saying that everything had been “quite thoroughly consulted” and that “all our partners and allies were informed in advance.”

Three documents describe one call. The Kremlin text lists Witkoff, Abu Dhabi and the Kherson ceasefire. The Finnish text lists consultation with Ukraine and a call made by national leaders. Zelensky’s text lists energy and infrastructure. Each side’s account leaves out the other’s central item. The Kremlin readout does not mention consultation with Kyiv, and the Finnish release does not mention Putin’s reference to “root causes” or his criticism of EU and NATO policy.

Putin told a televised interviewer, as Al Jazeera reported on 23 October, that the talks should address security arrangements for a final deal. The readout repeats “full and unconditional” consideration of Russia’s interests. Stubb’s line was “Ending the war requires direct discussions.” What was on offer on 27 October was a phone call and an undated meeting.

At the Oslo press conference with Zelensky, Støre said that “Europe has to be at the table”, according to the Quincy Institute’s Matthew Blackburn, who wrote on 27 October that Peskov had cautiously welcomed the idea of Stubb representing Europe in talks. Stubb said at the same event that “peace requires patience” but that “war does not wait”. On the Finnish side, the call was labelled national. In Helsinki, Frederiksen said the initiative was taken “on their own”. Peskov told TASS on 25 October that Moscow would support an EU negotiator who genuinely wants peace, according to our earlier report, which also noted that Brussels has not named an envoy.

The first marker is a date for Abu Dhabi. Peskov said on 27 October there is none, while Zelensky said “as early as possible” and the Kremlin’s first readout said “first half of November”. Ushakov had said on 25 October that Moscow was ready to resume after 4 November.

The second is the Kherson arrangement. The General Staff said the “regime of silence” began at 4:00 a.m. on 27 October, and Peskov reported no violations by midday. A breach would test the readout’s claim of a US-mediated humanitarian operation.

The third is whether the “direct contacts by phone” that the readout mentions produce a second call, and whether Denmark, Sweden or the EU join them. Frederiksen said she sees no sign Russia wants peace with Europe. Stubb and Støre say they spoke as national leaders. A second call with a wider group, or none, will show whether the channel was a one-off.